The Aftermath
by Icelightning
Summary: Sequel to Changing of the Guard. *FINAL CHAPTER!* Wildwing's back at the Pond--but he's having nightmares. Can Nosedive help him? And will Wildwing let him?
1. Wildwing, Stay in Bed!

The Aftermath (Yeah, yeah, I know... Original name, no? ^.~)   


By Icelightning   


Chapter 1: Wildwing, Stay in Bed!   


Disclaimer: I don't own Mighty Ducks, although I do own the Wildwing, Nosedive, Mallory, and Duke plushies. (I think it's Duke.. Can't remember, had to stuff them into the closet. u.u; Poor things.) Yes, there are plushies. And I own all the episodes on tape! *Sobs happily* . . . Uhm. . . I think I'll switch over to the author's note now. 

Author's Note: I'm evil, hehe. . . .Ignore that random remark, but at any rate, due to the fact that I had at least one person spaz out after reading my story (you know who you are) I decided that maybe I should write a sequel. Or at least something to tie up loose ends. I also decided to write another MD:TAS story because I actually pulled off that other one rather quickly, and that made me very happy. The ducks are easy characters to grasp, what can I say? Booya! . . . Okay, I'm just being random now, on to the fanfic! (Which will have a title by the time you read it!) 

Another Author's Note: Okay, I lied. I'm just going to explain why I had so much profanity in my last fanfic. =P They were tired and weren't thinking. Usually they wouldn't curse like that, but after a few days of little or no sleep, wouldn't you be disagreeable? (People literally can experience short-term mental illness if they don't sleep enough. . . And their personalities go out of wack, which is why Nosedive freaked out so much. See, there's a method to my madness!) Lol, NOW onto the fanfic! 

Author's third note: . . . Okay, so I lied *AGAIN*. I noticed something about the Mighty Ducks, and I felt like I had to share it with you so that you all knew. Wildwing and Nosedive *DO* sleep in the same room. O.O;; Look closely at the episodes "A Traitor Among Us" and "Return of Asteroth" for proof. In the first ep mentioned, Wildwing says Lucretia can use his bunk to sleep and they show the room when she opens the door. In the second mentioned episode, you see Nosedive's room after he goes to read a comic book and he's contacted by Borg through it. (Spelling's right, I think. . .)   
They are the *SAME* room! Therefore, Nosedive and Wildwing sleep in the same room, because it would be so 'uncool' for Nosedive to hang around in Wildwing's room when he has his own. Simple logic, don't you think? . . . Now, onto the fanfic! (FINALLY!) 

Author's warning: This fanfic is LOOOONNNNNNNNNNNGGGGG! And it's going to have multiple chapters, yeah! I might also edit chapters once I get further along with this fanfic, maybe add in a scene or two. We'll just have to wait and see.   
  


When I first woke up, before I was fully aware of my surroundings, the fear for my brother's safety assaulted my senses. The last thing I remembered was pushing him out of the way and taking the truck straight on . . .I was afraid that I hadn't gotten to him in time and that he was dead, and I would wake up to only hear that he was gone forever.   
But it was then that I heard Duke and Grin arguing about how Nosedive wouldn't be able to survive without me. . . And I knew he was alive. But my elation at that discovery didn't last long, as Duke promptly pointed out that Nosedive needs me and that he would die without me.   
Somehow, I shouldn't have been very surprised, but I was. I never really thought about the relationship with my brother in that way, probably because I had never allowed myself to. I wanted to have the knowledge that I could die for my brother and he would live on, to have a safe and happy life.   
Now I know it could never be that way, not for many, many years. I wouldn't be able to die for him until he had his own family, his own wife and children and even then, the pain of loosing me might still kill him.   
What was I supposed to do, though? LET my brother die?? I couldn't, the guilt would've been too much! At least I knew I had some chance of surviving being slammed to the pavement. He didn't -- he's so little. I couldn't let my baby bro' die before he had even truly lived. I mean, he may be late in his teens, but he's still a kid. I'm not. He's got a lot more to live for than I do. I've lived longer, and it just wouldn't feel right if Nosedive left this world before I did -- before we even got back home.   
I had to give Nosedive the best chance for survival. We have to protect the future, don't we? He's got a raw talent that can't be replaced, and he's come through for us so many times. . .   
. . . No, no, that's not it. The real reason I saved him was for me. I was selfish. I didn't want to watch my brother die and I shoved him out of the way without thinking about how he would handle my death. I didn't care, I just didn't want to have to go through life knowing my baby bro' died because I wanted him to come with me so badly when Canard sprung us out of the camps. It would've been completely my fault and I would have never been able to live with myself. I probably would have killed myself the second we got back to the Pond with Nosedive's body. Does he even know that I need him just as much as he needs me?   
The look on his face when he realized that I had made it was priceless; Nosedive had never been happier. The look of relief was complete and genuine. . . I thought that only _I_ could worry like I do, but as they say you learn by example. He probably saw me fretting over him one too many times. Bad habits start early, I guess.   
People have always been commenting on how close the two of us are. We're pretty lucky -- It's not always you find a pair of brothers that mutually like to hang out together. It's a shame that brotherhood so extremely close is so hard to find. But I got to admit, I'd rather have it no other way. Hell, I can't even imagine life without Nosedive, and I'm sure he can't imagine life without me.   
Nosedive has the uncanny ability to make me laugh, I'm serious. Usually he doesn't do it around the others, and I'm grateful for that, because if I laugh really hard, I snort. . . Something I don't want the others to know. I'd be the butt of their jokes for a week, probably longer. But at least 'Dive has the same weakness, so I don't have to worry about him exposing my secret to the others. Every time I tease him that I might tell the others, he wacks me over the head with a pillow.   
Kinda reminds me of the pillow fight we had when he was five. . . It resulted with me accidently knocking him unconscious. Kinda hard to forget a time where you cried so hard you could barely breathe. God, I thought he was dead! He woke up a few minutes later while I was holding his body to my chest and asked me if I needed a hug. Heh, I think that's one of the only time, if the only time, that I've cried in front of my brother. I bet he doesn't even remember it.   
I was told from the beginning that I had to be a good role-model for him. You should've seen how immaculate my room was after I was told that. It literally _shined_. And I was doing so many chores around the house that I was asked to be   
a little less helpful, because it's rather scary when a little kid never plays or enjoys himself. Nosedive would never let me hear the end of it if he found out about that entire episode. It _still_ embarrasses me.   
Nosedive's grown so much these last few years that it hurts. He doesn't need me half as much as he used to, and he rarely needs to be calmed down from having nightmares anymore. We used to be attached at the hip, with him always following me around like a lost puppy looking for someone to take care of it. He always came to me when he was scared or upset, and he looked up to me with huge, innocent eyes. How could I not love someone that never grew tired of me? He wasn't annoying like most other little brothers like that are, he was nice and quiet, never getting in-between me and my friends. Kinda strange, Nosedive and _quiet?_ Yeah . . . That sure was a long time ago.   
Although it's kinda comforting, the thought that he can't live without me, on some basic, selfish level. It helps me get up in the morning knowing that I have to wake up Nosedive so he's ready for practice on time and that he always rants about his days to me. Well, not always, but almost. He doesn't bother me with the bad days unless they're really bad and he's feeling depressed. Which isn't often, thank God, it hurts me to ever see him upset, and even worse when it's because of me. But that doesn't happen very often either, which I'm very thankful for as well.   
My little brother's growing up, becoming an adult before my very eyes. He's constantly in life-or-death situations, where one wrong move could have left him cold and dead. We had our share of close calls, Nosedive just barely making it out alive in some cases. But through it all, his good cheer and humor has remained steadfast. Sometimes I think his jokes are a mask to his true feelings, but other times they're the true him. There's more to him than one would see on first glance. . . You would have to look closely to finally see it all. He's very responsible for his age and very brave -- any other kid his age would have ran at the first sign of trouble. But Nosedive . . . He doesn't and I know he never will. It's just that he's that way, that certain unique type of half-boy, half-adult combination with a talent and a will behind him. He knows, when everything's on the line, to be serious, even if his serious is only cracking a joke every few minutes. He knows his place on the team, and what I expect of him, even if he sometimes disobeys orders.   
However, something tells me that he doesn't know how important he is to the group, how irreplaceable he is. As hard as it is for me to admit, there's more than one type of person like Canard, many that could lead just as well as him. But there's only a few people like Nosedive, and many of them probably died rebelling agains the Saurians. Nosedive probably would have died doing the same thing, but he restrained himself, knowing that it would kill me if he died so pointlessly like that. What could one kid do against an entire empire without any means to fight back, and no experience in the art of fighting? He would have died and I would probably still be fretting over how he was, wondering if he ever made it out of the camps alive. And when I would've gotten the answer, it would've killed me. . . My life would have been build around the hope that he still lived and it would've destroyed me when I found out that my hope had been for naught.   
He's really brought this team together, with all of us wanting to protect him and make sure that he's having the best life he possibly can while we're here. And his antics keep us from becoming too gloomy and depressed, making sure that we look to the future with hope. There's so much he brings with his laughter.   
The others have become more than a little bit attached to him. Duke basically considers him as a little brother himself, the 'kid' that gets us through the day andsometimes needs to be protected. He's Grin's 'little friend' that keeps his head from   
becoming lost in the clouds and their arguments over that bear always bring a smile to everyone's face. And Tanya enjoys the fact that Nosedive's a very fast learner and has shown interest in what she does, even helping her in building or repairing inventions of hers. Even Mallory cares for him, despite the fact that she says that she wants to kill him at least four times a day.   
It's strange. . . Before when Canard was leader, before he. . . disappeared into that void, we were all just a team, nothing more. Nosedive was too afraid to be himself around that duck, afraid that Canard might kick him off the team and send him back to the camps where he would die. He knew that I can't stand being separated from him in such dire conditions. I think he wanted to be there for me and for himself.   
But when I took over, he let his true self show, or at least showed more of who he really was. He tried everything to make us smile, to make us realize that there was more to life than capturing Dragaunus, although that was on our list of top priorities. Somehow, every once in a while I just get this feeling that if he hadn't of come, we would've never learned how to relax and enjoy life again. After all, what is the point of winning a war if you forget how to truly live? Maybe he was a   
distraction from our objective, but he was necessary. He gave us the last component, the most important component to our team diagram.   
Nosedive gave us trust. Without him, Duke and Mallory would be at each other's throats, and I would've been unable to lead the group like Canard wanted me to do. I did it all for my little brother, I just couldn't _stand_ there and let him die   
because I couldn't lead! I had to grow up, to become the best leader I could be then and there. There was no allowance for self-pity and self-loathing. Nosedive knew I blamed myself about what happened to Canard, and I still do, but he reminds me time and time again that it was probably the best case scenario. We wouldn't have been half as efficient as we are now if Canard was leading, even though I hate to admit it. He was just a leader, nothing more. He was the only tie between everyone, the only link.   
The team is much different now. We have ties that bind, that intercross between each and every one of us. Heck, half the time I don't even _need_ to give orders anymore, because the others know what to do and what they're best at. We look out for each other, cover each others' backs. Duke mentioned something about another duck being on the team before me, another duck that had died only a few months after the team was formed. We've been going for around a year and not one of us has died yet. We've come close to loosing ducks sometimes, but we've never lost one yet. It's because we try so hard to protect each other and we _believe_ in each other. Mallory might have a bit of a problem with doubting the others, but that's ten times better than she was a year ago. She's almost civil at times now. Mal just needs to learn how to relax a bit more and she could basically be a civilian. And she'd kill me if she ever knew I thought that.   
She won't admit it, ever, but she's fiercely overprotective of Nosedive, which is why she's probably so hard on him -- Mallory just doesn't want him to get hurt because he did something stupid. That, and I think she gets mad at herself for worrying so much when he gives into his impulses during a battle and comes out untouched. I know I worry. She's just not used to being close to people, I guess. In another year, she'll be laughing her tailfeathers off at Nosedive's antics. . . Ehhhhhhhh, probably not, but you never know.   
We're not just a team -- we're _family_. And pretty close one, if you ask me. Sometimes, family doesn't need to be of your blood. There's no other way I can describe the relationship we all share with each other, a sharing of a deep-rooted   
trust that only few ducks ever discover in their entire lifetimes. We look out for each other and never leave our wounded behind. We laugh together, share our ups and downs together, and train together. We've gotten use to having to share bathrooms and our schedules shift to accommodate for the rest of the ducks. We'd even die for each other without a second thought.   
Isn't that the definition of family?   
It doesn't really matter, either way. All I really know is that I'm proud to be the team captain of the Mighty Ducks.   


A figure quietly sneaked through the lower levels of the Pond, and it knew them well. It creeped along a hallway before jumping around the corner, looking warily about. The being knew it would never get what it seeked if it was caught, so the being tried its best to remain quiet.   
Which was when it tripped over the video controller in front of the huge screen television and fell down noisily.   
It looked around quickly, rubbing its head, seeing if anyone had seen it. The coast was clear, seemingly. So the being got up and started walking towards its destination.   
The figure passed by Drake One without a second glance and into the kitchen.   
A smile spread across its face as it saw its goal: the refrigerator.   
It reached for the handle and then. . .   
The lights flipped on and it covered its eyes, wincing.   
There was an audible click as the creature found itself on the service end of a puckblaster, its owner cocking it threateningly in both hands.   
The possessor was the youngest of the Mighty Ducks, a blonde teenager named Nosedive. He shouted at the being, not even registering who it was.   
"Put your hands up, jerkfa- . . . Wildwing?!" Nosedive blinked twice and slowly lowered his puckblaster, confused.   
Wildwing smiled guiltily. "Uhm. . . Hi baby bro', nice weather we're having, isn't it?"   
His younger brother sighed and shook his head, replacing his puckblaster and   
changing back to his civilian clothes with the button on his comlink before frowning slightly as he place a hand on his hip.   
"I thought Tanya confined you to two i>weeks/i> of bedrest."   
"Uhm . . . Well . . . Yeah, she did." Wildwing shrugged, still smiling guiltily.   
"Then what are you doing up?" Nosedive asked, eyebrow raised.   
"I was kinda hungry and was going to grab a bite to eat. . ." He explained rather lamely, trailing off.   
"I thought you were supposed to com me if you needed anything." Nosedive replied, grinning inwardly, having caught his own brother disobeying someone's orders for a change.   
Wildwing blushed faintly at that.   
"I thought you would be asleep . . ."   
His brother sighed and shook his head.   
"You know that I stay up late and that we share a room! Wildwing, Wildwing, Wildwing -- What am I going to do with you?"   
"Make me a sandwich?" The older duck half-heartedly offered.   
Nosedive suddenly had the strange urge to tell Wildwing that he wouldn't before realizing he'd only get up again.   
"AFTER we get you back in bed, before Tanya finds out you're not resting and blows a gasket." Nosedive snickered, turning Wildwing around and pushing the duck back towards the dormitories.   
"I can't even take a shower?" Wildwing asked, reluctant to go back to bed.   
"Nope! Straight off to bed for you, mister!" He punched in the password to their room and proceeded to push his brother inside.   
"You sound like me." Wildwing laughed weakly, sliding back into bed while Nosedive watched his every move.   
Nosedive blanched, looking horrified. "You mean I'm going to become like you when I grow up?!"   
Wildwing chuckled, looking up at his brother while he laid his head on his pillow.   
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing. . ."   
"It is in my case, but that's not important. What do you want on your sandwich?"   
"The usual."   
"Ohh . . . Do I HAVE to put on the green olives?" Nosedive asked, making a face.   
". . . Dive, I don't *LIKE* green olives." He blinked, confused.   
His brother laughed, nodding.   
"I know, I know! Just had to make sure you're still in your right mind." Dive grinned and winked, patting Wing on the shoulder before he walked out of the room.   
"I'll be back in a minute, just don't starve to death while I'm gone!"   
His brother laughed lightly.   
"Don't worry, I will!"   
Nosedive looked quickly back into the room, winking again.   
Wildwing smiled, letting his eyes drift closed. How strange it had all become since he had woken up. Nosedive was taking care of him instead of the other way around, scolding him, waiting after him -- the whole nine yards. . . He wanted to dreadfully get out of bed, even though Tanya said he should rest so he didn't relapse. He never knew how BORING staying in bed all day could be! But . . . it was kind of nice having someone else doing all the worrying for a change.   
Soon his thoughts began to drift as he fell back into peaceful dreams.   


Nosedive smiled softly as he looked back into the room, fully expecting that Wildwing would have drifted off back to sleep in the exact same fashion he had. His brother was still easily worn out, and was sleeping more than half the day. But it didn't matter. Wildwing was back and that was all that counted.   
He found himself smiling wistfully, laughing softly as he shook his head. Really, he _was_ starting to sound like Wildwing, worried to death about him. But at least he had good reason to be worried, afraid that Wildwing might collapse anytime, like he did the first day he came out of the infirmary, on his way to his room. . . No, no. Nosedive refused to think about that, shaking his head quickly to dispel the unpleasant thoughts.   
Sighing, he walked into the room and pulled up Wildwing's covers, so that he wouldn't get cold -- something that, even at his age, Wildwing did for his little brother. Either way, it was Nosedive's turn to take care of Wildwing and he had to   
make sure his brother didn't hurt himself while he was recovering. Not an easy task, mind you. The others would help, of course, but it was going to be mostly up to Nosedive to watch over Wildwing.   
Somehow, he didn't really mind watching over his older brother all that much. He would've done it anyways, afraid that Wildwing might hurt himself. Wildwing got bored easily just like his brother did. And it was sorta fun to scold one's big bro'. He enjoyed it, definitely. And it clearly amused the others, especially Duke who also enjoyed play the "older brother" -- until Wildwing threw his pillow at him and Duke laughed, running out of the room before Wildwing decided to throw harder things at him. However, even that didn't stop Duke from having his fun.   
Wildwing would always have to do something; he couldn't sit still unless he was doing something worthwhile. Which usually meant doing something with Nosedive, and subsequently, Nosedive found himself having less and less time for. . . Well, himself. They would talk for hours on end until they exhausted every topic or until Wildwing drifted off to sleep, which was often because he was still in recovery. Nosedive had never realized how animated Wildwing could be when he was discussing a subject that he enjoyed immensely.   
But Wildwing was quiet now, breathing softly and evenly as he slept. Nosedive sighed, sitting down on the bed next to his brother and cautiously touched Wildwing's cheek with the back of his fingers. The older duck merely mumbled softly in his sleep and stirred slightly, causing Nosedive to pull his hand quickly away from Wildwing's face. Watching the duck intensely for a few moments, the boy relaxed when he was convinced that his brother was still asleep.   
How many times had Wildwing sat by his side, like this, at night? Once a month, once a week? More than that? Nosedive knew that he himself was a heavy sleeper, and that Wildwing would have no problem sneaking the few feet inbetween their bunks to sit at his brother's side. It wouldn't be hard at all.   
He had a feeling that Wildwing did it quite often, actually. But Nosedive really didn't mind; his brother needed to watch over him every once in a while. After all that happened to them, after the Saurians attacked their homeworld, Nosedive could at least allow his brother that. He could allow his brother to watch him sleep without the nightmares that he had experienced in the camps. Nosedive owed Wildwing the knowledge that his brother could now sleep in peace and no longer woke up screaming in the middle of the night, every night. Now, it happened perhaps once a month, if even that much. As long as Wildwing was near him, Nosedive rarely had nightmares. Take Wildwing away and Nosedive's screams would wake up the pond -- The exact reason as to why he and his brother shared a room.   
It gave Wildwing a sense of comfort, a sense that he was needed by Nosedive. They slept in different quarters in the camps, divided by ages. Wildwing could never comfort him when he needed him the most. But when Canard busted them out. . . He could be there for Nosedive anytime he was needed, _especially_ after those nightmares. They began to decrease immediately after they were freed, and had completely stopped after the first few months on Earth. They had stopped because Nosedive felt safe with his older brother around. He knew that Wildwing would be there when he cried out for him, and that helped him defeat the nightmares. Nosedive knew that Wildwing would never let any of them come true without a fight.   
It wasn't until the time they attacked the Master Tower back on Puckworld that Nosedive realized he was no longer the defenseless little boy he used to be. He realized his own potential and abilities for the first time. He learned how to use   
the Aerowing in under an hour where it took other ducks years. Nosedive had two ducks to protect him, is what he realized. He had Wildwing. . . and himself.   
And when Nosedive no longer had nightmares, Wildwing no longer needed to comfort him all the time. However, since then, the two brothers were closer than they had ever been before. Nosedive still needed Wildwing, they both knew that, but Wildwing was comforted in the fact that his little brother no longer needed to suffer at night. Which is why he stayed up, just watching; he wanted to make sure that all that had happened was not a lie. Nosedive's still form told him that it was all true, and that Puckworld was free from the tyranny of Dragaunus. It told him that his little brother was safe, with him, and still alive and well. Nosedive was happy and healthy, which was what Wildwing had always wanted the most, and why he always had to make sure that his life wasn't a dream. Too many false hopes and dreams had been shattered, and a part of him probably still didn't believe all of this was possible. The presence of his little brother confirmed all of it to be true, and reminded Wildwing of why he was the one leading the team.   
It was a startling realization on Nosedive's part, one that left him speechless as he stroked his brother's cheek gently, staring down at the sleeping mallard below him. It was one realization that left him tired, and he found his more coherent   
thoughts slipping away as sleep started to overcome him once more. He smiled softly at his brother's sleeping form and yawned, walking out of the room and leaving the door open, a thought suddenly occuring to him about how to keep Wildwing from sneaking out at night.   
A minute later, Nosedive returned dragging a sleeping bag behind him with one hand, grabbing his pillow off of his bed with the other. He threw them down next to Wildwing, closing and locking the door before he plopped down onto them.   
Wildwing had somehow snuck out of the room they shared without Nosedive noticing, numerous times, and he wasn't going to let Wildwing do that again. Obviously, it would be much harder if Wildwing accidently _stepped_ on him when he got out of bed. There was only so many things that Nosedive could sleep through and being stepped on wasn't one of them. He couldn't help but laugh quietly at that thought, a smile coming to his face. Wildwing wouldn't sneak out if the risk of waking up his brother was too great. Just to make sure, Nosedive dimmed the lights so that Wildwing couldn't see him sleeping on the floor and merely step over him. No, that would ruin the entire point of sleeping on the floor at the side of his brother's bunk.   
Staring up at Wildwing, Nosedive merely sat there for a few minutes, his train of thought slowly unravelling as another few braincells were claimed by sleep. Finally, he found overwhelming and he got into the sleeping bag, zipping himself up and getting comfortable before taking one last look at his brother.   
"'Night, 'Wing. . ." Nosedive mumbled quietly just before sleep claimed him entirely, his head falling gently onto the pillow.   


A couple hours later, Wildwing was awaken by the rumbling of his stomach. Looking at the clock, he became confused. How could he already be so hungry when Nosedive made him a sandwich?   
He then realized that Nosedive _never_ did make him a sandwich. Letting loose a groan, he slapped his forehead. Wildwing should've known that his little brother was planning something when he said that Wildwing should wait for his sandwich in bed. . . Nosedive knew his brother would fall back asleep almost instantly.   
However, that theory died the second Wildwing turned to glare at his brother's sleeping form. His narrowed eyes widened as he looked, horrified, at Nosedive's empty bunk.   
Thoughts of what horrible things could have happened to his brother raced through his mind, and he didn't even stop to consider that Nosedive might have been just getting a late-night snack.   
". . .God, no. . . _NOSEDIVE!_" Wildwing jumped out of bed, fear clutching at his heart.   
He promptly put one of his feet down onto Nosedive's stomach, instantly waking the younger mallard.   
Nosedive let out a cry of pain and sat up quickly, causing Wildwing to loose his balance and fall over onto the floor with a shout. Dive winced and looked around wildly before realizing that Wildwing had merely stepped on him. Despite the pain, the boy managed to grin at his confused brother.   
"Heh, caught you trying to sneak out." Nosedive laughed weakly, rubbing his stomach. "Thought you could get away without me noticing, eh. . . ?"   
Wildwing didn't reply, instead grabbing his brother into a tight hug that nearly choked Nosedive.   
"Gah! 'Wing!" He struggled a bit, and then sighed, relaxing. "'Wing, what's wrong?"   
Wildwing let go of his little brother, just holding him by his shoulders as a blush came to his cheeks.   
"Didn't see you in your bed. . ." Wildwing stated, embarrassed.   
"You weren't supposed to realize I wasn't in my bed." Nosedive smiled weakly. "You weren't supposed to freak out like that either. Geez, 'Wing, you must be more tired than we both thought."   
"Y-yeah, obviously. . ." Wildwing returned the weak smile. "Sorry about stepping on you. What were you doing there, anyway?"   
Nosedive huffed a bit.   
"What did it look like? I was making sure you didn't sneak out again without me knowing! Even _I_ can't sleep through someone stepping on me." Nosedive winced a bit. "But next time, can you try to make sure you don't step on me so hard?"   
Wildwing laughed and nodded to his brother.   
"I'll try-"   
"-Wing, Dive, what's going on?!"   
The two ducks squinted their eyes as the lights came on, the other ducks looking worried from the door frame.   
"I accidently stepped on Nosedive." Wildwing grinned, looking guilty.   
"Oh." Mallory blushed as the other ducks behind her laughed softly. "We thought you were under attack or something."   
". . . Speaking of being under attack, I thought I locked the door. . ." Nosedive mumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes and shying away from the overhead light.   
Duke grinned and waved his electronic lockpicks.   
"Oh, that explains it. . ." Nosedive glared at Duke, not liking the light one bit and fully blaming the eldest member of the team for his temporary blindness.   
"Eheh. . ." Duke grinned stupidly and shut off the light.   
"Thank you!" Nosedive muttered getting up and walking over to his bed, Wildwing letting go of his shoulders. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to bed. Good NIGHT!"   
Wildwing grinned at his brother, watching the other duck get settled into his bed before turning to the others.   
"Sorry about that, 'Dive was just trying to make sure I didn't sneak out of my room again-- Erk!" He covered his beak, realizing he just let the fact that he had been out of bed slip.   
Tanya frowned.   
"Wildwing . . ."   
"Yeah, yeah, I know!" Wildwing sighed, then added another comment against his better judgement. "I was hungry!"   
"You're not supposed to be moving around!" Tanya countered, hands on her hips. "You're supposed to be resting! I said you were confined to bed rest!"   
"But. . . But I was hungry!" He countered again, unable to come up with another argument, and the others snickered.   
Tanya let out a long, frustrated sigh.   
"We're going to have to strap you down if you keep this up, you know that, right?"   
"You wouldn't do that to your team captain, would you?" Wildwing asked hopefully.   
From the mischievious grins that crossed Tanya's, Duke's, and Mallory's faces, that answer was a resounding yes.   
Wildwing sighed in defeated.   
"Alright, Alright! I'm going back to bed."   
Tanya smiled happily, knowing she had won the argument.   
"Good!" She made sure that he had gotten back into his own bed before they all left, shutting the door behind them.   
Wildwing sighed yet again.   
". . . I'm still hungry."   
Nosedive groaned.   
"Wildwing?"   
"Yeah, baby bro'?" The duck looked over to his brother.   
"Go. To. Sleep. PLEASE!"   
Sighing, Wildwing closed his eyes and let himself drift off again.   
  
  
"Ugh, it's impossible to keep Wildwing in bed!" Tanya groaned, slapping herself in the forehead.   
She was sitting with the other ducks at the table during breakfast, sans Wildwing and Nosedive.   
Duke grinned.   
"Can't really blame him; he's not used to having to sit on one place. He's used to chasing his kid brother around to keep him out of trouble."   
Mallory rolled her eyes before nodding to Tanya.   
"I'm really starting to think that we might actually have to strap him down."   
Duke laughed.   
"Nah. . . Better not do that, Nosedive would taunt him to no end." He added, and Mallory laughed as well.   
"And so would you." She added, and Duke smiled innocently.   
"I wouldn't do that, would I?"   
Tanya shook her head, before addressing the others.   
"So what are we going to do about him? We obviously need to do something before he hurts himself again."   
"He's bored." Grin stated simply and the others turned to look at him.   
Nosedive snorted as he walked into the kitchen and got out a box of sugary cereal, actually coherent in the morning for a change. How could he keep Wildwing out of trouble if he couldn't even pour the milk into his cereal properly?   
"I could've told you that."   
"Then why didn't you?" Mallory asked, raising an eyebrow.   
"Because I was asleep, duh!" He replied, grinning to her before rummaging in the fridge for the milk.   
Mallory glared at his back as Tanya and Duke both shook their heads.   
"So, how do you propose we keep Wildwing from getting bored?" Duke looked to Nosedive.   
"Well, he likes books, but I think he's too bored to be entertained by them. . . I think he wants to do something with another person." Dive replied thoughtfully, thinking hard.   
"Like what?" Tanya prompted.   
"Well . . . We've played a few videogames together before, and he really likes those two-player quest games."   
Mallory laughed at the thought.   
"Oh like that's going to work!"   
Dive glared at her, pouring his milk.   
"I'm serious Mal, he likes those kind of games! Especially when _I_ play with him!"   
She looked skeptical.   
"Really! He just doesn't like people to know that, 'cause it kinda hurts his image, you know? C'mon, at least we can try it!" Nosedive stated.   
A thunk sounded from the hall, followed by a string of curses.   
". . . You know, at this point, I'm willing to try anything." Tanya groaned, burying her face in her hands.   


"You know, Wildwing, it would've been easier to keep you in bed if you had just broken your foot when you stubbed it." Duke stated with a laugh, helping Nosedive set up the game system the boy had brought into his and Wildwing's room.   
"Ha. Ha." Wildwing replied, still a little flustered about the fact he managed to stub his toe on Tanya's toolbox. He was especially flustered since she left in front of his room to purposely trip him up should he try to sneak out again.   
"You know, you wouldn't have stubbed your foot in the first place had you stayed in bed." Nosedive added cheerfully, grinning at his not-so-happy brother.   
"Hmph."   
"Wing's only crabby because he doesn't like staying in one place." He continued, grinning wider as he addressed Duke. "He acted just like this after the time he broke his leg back on Puckworld."   
Duke looked to him.   
"How'd you keep him from getting loose?"   
Nosedive grinned evilly.   
"We taped him to his bed."   
"You did not!" Wildwing frowned and Nosedive laughed.   
"We thought about it." He replied with a wink.   
". . . What exactly are you two doing, anyways?" The white-feathered duck asked, now curious, sitting up and glancing over the side of his bed to get a better look.   
"Setting up the game system." Nosedive replied in a matter of factly tone.   
Nosedive's brother crossed his arms and gave him one of those '*AHEM*' looks.   
"I thought we agreed that it wasn't going to stay in our room."   
He waved a hand.   
"Yeah, yeah, we did. This is just temporary. 'Sides, this is for you anyways!"   
"Oh?" Wildwing raised an eyebrow at his brother, looking quite skeptical.   
"Remember those type of games you like? Those two-player games?" Dive didn't give Wildwing a chance to reply. "Well, we rented a ton of them for the two of us to try out, so you don't get so bored!"   
The elder brother raised both of his eyebrows in surprise.   
"Really?"   
"Yep, really. Even rented Gauntlet Legends! And we hooked up Drake One so it would feed into the TV so we could play Diablo II together as well. It's pretty cool, Tanya was able to rig it up so that we each have a half of the screen for our own   
character." Nosedive laughed, giving Wildwing a thumbs up before going back to setting up the game console.   
"But don't we have to play it over the net, baby bro'? Or at least through an internal connection?"   
"Yeah, but you know how powerful Drake One is! It can handle two copies at once, and Tanya and I designed this special little program that acts like the computer has its own ethernet. Awesome, huh?" Dive ranted on.   
Wildwing didn't tell many people, but he was a sucker for two-player fantasy games, especially GOOD two-player fantasy games. Not to mention that Nosedive obviously had gone to a lot of trouble to set up everything so that Wildwing didn't have to leave the room. It was a temptation he couldn't resist. He'd been dying to play Diablo II, something he would _NEVER_ admit to on his life, but he really wasn't all that interested in playing it by himself. . . . But if Nosedive wanted to play . . .   
Nosedive blinked and looked at Wildwing, a bit put out that his brother hadn't replied instantly.   
"Wildwing?"   
"Forget the console, let's just play Diablo."   
His brother laughed and stuck his tongue out at Duke.   
"Told ya he wouldn't want the game console after he heard that we could play Diablo II together!" He held out his hand as well, expectantly.   
Duke muttered and handed over a crisp one-hundred dollar bill.   
"You bet on what I would be more interested in?" Wildwing asked, resisting a laugh.   
Nosedive nodded, his shoulders shaking with his laughter as he doubled over, unable to stand up anymore.   
Duke glared at the boy, watching him as he rolled around on the floor with laughter.   
"I swear, kids these days. . . They'll rob you out of house and home!" He threw his hands into the air and walked out as Wildwing joined Nosedive in laughter.   
"Duke, it was only one-hundred bucks. How many more do you have in the bank? A million??" Dive called after him, as Wildwing continued to howl.   
"Oh hush up!" Duke called back, causing Nosedive to spasm with laughter again.   
Mallory buried her face in her hands, groaning, able to hear the two all the way in the recreation room.   
"Well, at least we know that Wildwing's feeling better." Tanya sighed, patting Mallory's shoulder sympathetically.   
"And I'll be coming down with a headache shortly, I'm sure." Mallory replied with a growl.   


The two brothers ended their day with a movie, which they had, after much debate, chosen to be The Secret of NIMH. As the movie began, both of the young ducks had been sitting seperately, on Wildwing's bed, but as time had moved on Nosedive had leaned into Wildwing, resting his head on the shoulder of his older brother. And slowly, his eyelids began to droop as he paid more attention to the warmth of Wildwing's shoulder than he did to the going-ons of the movie.   
Wildwing smiled as he finally heard the soft sound of snoring next to him. He wrapped an arm around Nosedive's shoulders and pulled his sleeping form closer. The boy snuggled into his brother unconsciously, sighing happily as his body relaxed.   
His older brother was more than a bit surprised that Nosedive has succumbed to sleep before he did, knowing the boy was used to staying up late. So why was today any different?   
In the end Wildwing decided that he didn't care and was just content to have Nosedive curled up beside him, safe and sound. He nuzzled Nosedive's beak with his own, smiling wider as the boy muttered about food. Typical, but it was one more sign that told him everything would be back to normal soon. And for that, he was glad.   
It was as welcome as Nosedive's laughter. For the first few days after Wildwing woke up, Nosedive didn't laugh like he usually would. It was true that he did laugh, but it seemed devoid of the energy that always seemed to surround Nosedive and it never reached his eyes.   
"I scared you pretty bad, didn't I, baby bro'? You were so afraid that you were going to lose me, weren't you?" He whispered softly, sighing as he ran his fingers through his brother's hair. "You know I had to try and save you, though. 'Cause you knew I had a possibility of survival while you didn't. You understand don't you, baby bro'? Don't you?"   
Wildwing shook his head and hugged Nosedive closer as he gently picked the boy up, swaying as he rose unsteadily to his feet. Slowly he made his way to the other side of the room, silently thanking Tanya that she had made the bunks with adjustable heights, so that Wildwing didn't have to stand on his toes to get Nosedive onto his bunk. Instead, he was able to lower the bunk with a switch so that he could easily lay his brother down.   
He smiled again as he placed his brother's head onto the pillow, pulling the up the covers so Nosedive would be warm. Once that he was sure that his brother would not awaken, he let himself sit down beside his brother, just watching him, not   
knowing that Nosedive had done the exact same thing the night before.   
The duck sighed again after a minute of staring at his brother and gently lifted a hand to run it through the boy's hair once more. It was then he remembered that the movie was still playing, so he used the controller to turn it, and the tv, off. He   
stared at the blank screen, letting his mind wander.   
Nosedive muttered indistinctly and stirred a bit before settling down again, causing his brother to glance back at him. Wildwing pulled the covers tighter around his brother's sleeping form, watching him tenderly. He then began to stroke through the boy's hair once more.   
"Wildwing?" The door to their room opened with a soft hiss and Mallory cautiously peered inside. "Are you still awake?"   
Wildwing looked up at Mallory just in time to see her frown as she took in which bed he was seated on. She placed her hands on her hips, looking so much like a scolding Tanya that it caused Wildwing to briefly wonder if Mallory was actually   
taking lessons from the other female duck. His bemused thoughts were interrupted when Mallory finally spoke.   
"You're supposed to be confined to bed-rest." She sighed, rubbing her temples as she walked over to him and he began to reply, but she interrupted him.   
"In _your_ bed." She added before he could say another word and he frowned.   
"Dive sleeps better in his own bunk." Wildwing replied, and he looked at the sleeping teenager once again. "And he would've been embarrassed had he woken up in my bed."   
"Wildwing. . .!" Mallory let out a moan as she buried her face in the hand that she had used to rub her temples.   
"I know, I know!" He sighed, turning to look at her seriously. "I'm not allowed to lift anything above twenty pounds. But what was I supposed to do?"   
Mallory lowered her hand into her lap as she sat down next to the male duck, glancing past him to Nosedive. The boy was breathing softly, deep in sleep and was at peace. She let her eyes soften for a few moments before she turned her gaze back to Wildwing as he watched her uneasily. Mallory didn't answer him.   
They stayed like that, gaze locked for a few minutes until Wildwing shifted nervously and looked away. Mallory too looked away, studying the air hockey table. After a minute, she sighed and whispered quietly.   
"We were all afraid you'd never wake up." Her shaky voice broke through the silence, causing Wildwing to blink and look back at her in surprise.   
"This team is nothing without you. Had you died, we would've all followed you." She shook her head, still looking away.   
Wildwing's eyes widened and he stared at Mallory's back, feeling increasingly uneasy.   
"Mallory. . ." He put a hand on her shoulder. "You know that isn't tr-"   
"-But it is!" Mallory interrupted him, her voice rising above a whisper, quickly turning to look at him again. "It is true!"   
Nosedive muttered indistinctly in his sleep and shifted around, causing Mallory to wince. They both watched Nosedive settle back down before they risked speaking once more. Mallory sighed and apologized quietly.   
"Sorry."   
Wildwing watched her as he began to wonder why she had come into his and Dive's room so late at night. Mallory normally turned in early, especially before midnight and she would've only stayed up if she thought she had something important to do. Or say. He met her gaze as she tore it away from Nosedive.   
"It is the truth, though." She continued. "Remember what happened when you tried to leave the team the first time?"   
He winced and nodded slowly, looking away as he let his hand fall from her shoulder. The memory was not very pleasant and always brought unwanted feelings with it. Feelings that Wildwing never wanted to feel again.   
"All of you nearly ended up dead because of me. . ." Wildwing closed his eyes and let out a shuddering sigh as his shoulders sagged, guilt written on his face. "Just because I couldn't believe in my abilities as team captain."   
Her eyes softened and she touched his arm.   
"We all need you; we depend on you. All of us." Mallory whispered, her voice a bit strained, as if it was hard for her to breathe.   
"That's what I'm afraid of -- I'm not strong enough to be depended on like that. Canard never would have doubted himself and none of that would have happened. The team wouldn't have nearly died for his stupidity." He stopped to take a deep breath before continuing, his beak angling towards the floor. "I wish I was the one to be taken by the worm."   
"D-don't say that. . . You know that's not true!" Mallory whispered so quietly that Wildwing barely heard her, gripping his arm tighter.   
"It is true." He replied.   
Mallory tried to speak, to say anything that might comfort him, but her mind was blank. What could she say to him? He wasn't listening to her! She became frustrated and that frustration turned into anger. The duck lifted her hand from Wildwing's arm and he looked to her, eyes hurt.   
With that same hand, Mallory slapped Wildwing forcibly across the face.   
He stared at her in shock with wide eyes, raising a hand to his burning cheek as Mallory glared at him, her eyes brimming with tears.   
"Don't ever say that, you're a better leader than Canard ever was!" She stated, eyes narrowed.   
"Mal-" He began to reply, his hand still covering his cheek.   
"And don't you dare say that I'm wrong! Because I'm not! Okay, so maybe you've made a mistake or two, but so have the rest of us! And Canard made mistakes too! Look how you've brough this team together, Wildwing!" Mallory continued. "Duke and I actually get along now compared to when Canard was leader! And we're all still here, aren't we?? Aren't we?!"   
"Y-yeah, but-"   
"-No buts! Wildwing, I've served in the military for a good number of years under various leaders, and you're the best team captain that I've ever had. And the best I probably ever will have. You respect your teammates, all of them, and you know us sometimes better than we know ourselves. And you treat us like real living beings! All of my other captains thought of their teammates as tools to reach their goals, not as real, living ducks! That's the difference between you and every other leader I've ever had: you're not just a leader, you're a friend!"   
"I don't know. . ." Wildwing sighed.   
"Want me to slap you again?" Mallory asked, crossing her arms, giving him a look.   
"Not particularly -- You slap rather hard." He smiled weakly at her.   
"You're damn right I do." She replied, her anger quickly dissipating, and another few minutes of silence passed.   
"You really mean it?" Wildwing asked and Mallory nodded in response.   
"All of it. . . You really meant all of it?" He asked her again, and she nodded once more, turning to look at Nosedive.   
"Somethings just needed to be said before it was too late." She whispered quietly, before abruptly changing the subject. "I couldn't have done what you did. . . I don't have a younger sibling, so I can't even begin to understand how much you care for him."   
Wildwing couldn't help but smile, as he too watched the sleeping Nosedive.   
"He's the reason I get up in the morning. The only reason, sometimes. I just wish he could've grown up without all. . . all _this_ happening." He lifted a hand to stroke Nosedive's cheek with the back of his fingers, his smile falling. "Nosedive   
shouldn't have to worry about Saurian's conquering the world or the safety of his teammates. He should be worrying about school and girls. . . With all the pressure he's under, I'm surprised he hasn't broken yet."   
"He's stubborn, like you." Mallory commented, earning a raised eyebrow from her teammate.   
"I'm stubborn?"   
"You lived through something that would've killed most ducks, didn't you? I call that pretty damn stubborn." She replied, smirking to him.   
Wildwing laughed, causing Nosedive to stir slightly and mumble under his breath. His older brother ran his hand through the teenager's hair a few times, and he slowly settled down again, but not before rolling over. Wildwing smiled at Nosedive and turned to look at her again.   
"Point taken."   
Mallory looked down at her watch, cursing softly under her breath, causing Wildwing to blink.   
"Mallory, what is it?" He blinked, his eyes full of confusion.   
She ran a hand through her hair, sighing in annoyance.   
"I got some photo shoot or something early tomorrow morning. . . I really should have been in bed about thirty minutes ago." Standing up, Mallory frowned at her watch as if it was lying. "So much for me being fully coherent for it."   
"Oops." Wildwing smiled softly and she rolled her eyes at him.   
"Tell me about it." Mallory shook her head. "And that means that you're going to bed too -- no arguments!"   
"But-!" Wildwing began, but she interrupted him.   
"If you argue, I'll tell Tanya about you carrying Nosedive to his bed, got it? She'll skin you alive." Smiling slyly, Mallory knew she had won even before she heard Wildwing's resigned sigh.   
"Oh, all right." The duck frowned slightly as he stood up to go back to his bed.   
Mallory put a hand on his chest and shoved him back towards Nosedive's bed, so that he lost his balance and was forced to sit back down. He blinked at her in confusion.   
"Ah ah ah. . . No." She smiled sneakily.   
It dawned on him then that she was going to make him hold to the 'bed rest' rule. Even if the bed he slept in wasn't his own.   
"Mallory, I i>can't/i> sleep in Nosedive's bed!" Wildwing cried, blushing.   
"Oh yes you can." She replied, grinning wickedly. "Doesn't he sleep with you whenever he has really bad nightmares?"   
"That's not the point." He sighed and shook his head. "The point is 'Dive'll kill me."   
"Only if you wake him up." Mallory commented. "Besides, I don't think he'll mind all that much -- He did nearly loose you."   
"I guess. . ." His voice gave away the fact that he was still reluctant.   
"Tanya?" She added, another smirk on her face.   
"Damnit." Wildwing glared slightly at her, laying down next to Nosedive, but not getting under the covers. "This bed is too small anyways. . ."   
"Deal." Mallory walked over to the bed and yanked the covers from under Wildwing, throwing them over the duck as she chuckled.   
"Hey, you'll wake 'Dive!" Wildwing frowned, glaring at her.   
Mallory snorted at that.   
"Nothing short of a meteorite landing on him could wake him up." She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "Besides, he looks like he's getting comfortable."   
Wildwing blushed as his brother indeed made himself comfortable, pressing into Wildwing and laying his head on his brother's shoulder. Nosedive smiled in his sleep when Wildwing wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling the boy closer. There was a soft sigh from the sleeping teen as he shifted and drapped an arm across his brother's stomach. After a minute, Nosedive settled down and began breathing quietly once more.   
"I guess then it's settled where you'll be sleeping tonight?" Mallory asked, her voice tinted with amusement.   
"Mmm.. I'm sleeping." Wildwing replied, closing his eyes.   
"No, you're not. You're just saying that."   
He replied with a soft sigh, and his breath evened out, causing Mallory to blink. She watched him for a minute before she decided he wasn't pretending.   
"You must've been more tired than you let on. . ." Smiling, she pulled the covers around them.   
As Mallory tucked the two in, her hand accidently brushed against Nosedive's hair and she paused. She had expected it to be anything but soft. However, the boy took better care of it than she did her own hair. Mallory was surprised he found time to take care of it between saving the world and hockey. She knew she didn't have the time, so where did he find it? Deciding that she would ask his secrets in exchange to not killing him for another one of his pranks, Mallory touched Wildwing's hair to see if it was also soft.   
"Damnit, must be genetic." She cursed fate and sighed, walking to the door.   
It was then that Mallory realized something and she couldn't help but laugh.   
Nosedive had slept through it all.   


*End of chapter 1* 

Author's Endnote: Wildwing does have hair! He does, he does, he does! It's just the same color as his feathers. =P So nyeh. I also could see Wildwing liking those type of games, so sue me. And, yes, this fanfic is going to have multiple chapters -- mainly because I decided that 24+ pages was too much for an one-shot. And that's even *BEFORE* it was done. I'm currently working on the last part of chapter two, which I hope to finish in a day or two. FF.net is probably still down, so I don't know when I'll be able to put this up. But I promise you, I'll try and finish this fanfic! (And it helps that I have a plot outline that extends to the end of it, which I don't in any of my others. . .) Please R&R, peeps! 


	2. Nightmares and Memories

The Aftermath   


By Icelightning   


Chapter 2: Nightmares and Memories 

Author's FF.Net Note: The rating was really for this chapter, since this has a lot more angst and PG-13 violence. . . So if you were wondering about it, that's why it was like that. And I really should thank Taiora Daikari, because she was the one that gave me the idea for a sequel in the first place. Actually, this chapter is more like a sequel and a prequel at the same time! O.o You'll understand what I mean once you read it. And thank you to Angelfire for being the first to review this fanfic! Thank you all that reviewed my first story and the first chapter of this one, many thanks! And Lily C, how on *EARTH* did you figure out what I was planning?? Grrr. . . Rofl. 

Author's other Note: There's a reason why I won't have a million author notes in the front of the later chapters. I had orginally intended this to be a one-shot, but Nuuuuuuuuu, the fanfic decided to be long. So that's why there were all those author notes on the first one. =P Because I kept on thinking of stuff to add to the list of comments. And excuse all spelling and grammar errors in the POV, 'cause I was tired and didn't feel like checking it over. 

Author's random Note: This chapter is evil! Wee! More Nosedive mental torture! XD Wahoo! (Yes, this is why the story was marked angst before. . .) And now, onto the fanfic! (Crap, still had a ton of notes, rofl. . .)   
  


It's amazing how quickly things can change in a year, a minute, a second. One's life can suddenly be forever altered by one moment. There's really two instances I remember in which this happened -- when I joined the Brotherhood of the Blade, and when Wildwing became leader of the Mighty Ducks. We weren't called the Mighty Ducks back then, but that's nott the point. The point is it changed my life.   
Even now my experiences as a member, and late the leader, of the Brotherhood of the Blade reflect on my life. They reflect on how I fight, how I walk, how I think and act. . . They even reflect on which orders Wildwing gives me and my responsibilities as a member of the team.   
It's the same as when Wildwing became leader. He treated me differently than Canard, treated me more like a real duck than just a tool to save the world. Wildwing _wanted_ to earn my trust, wanted to be my friend, and that made all the difference. It's strange, because he's so many years younger than I am, but in another way he's older than me. Maybe it's because it took so long for me to be able to fully trust the others, while he trusted us almost right off the bat, almost blindingly so, or maybe it's something else. Maybe it's because he can handle himself so well with so little training that it's almost humbling. I don't know. I don't really need to know. For one reason or another, I respect him. I didn't respect Canard, although I never let it show.   
One of the things that I had been told time and time again in the Brotherhood of the Blade was that emotions were useless. I was told they got in the way of the heist and distracted you from your goal. And in a way, the elders were both right and wrong. In a battle, in a heist, you can't let yourself get distracted or you'll get killed. But without emotions, what is there to fight for? Why would you fight if you didn't care about anyone and only about yourself? That's where they're wrong.   
I _care_ about the others more than anything in the world, especially Wildwing and Nosedive. After nearly a year, I'm still not sure how I proved myself to either of them, but whatever it was, I'm glad I did. They're like brothers to me, real, genuine brothers. Nosedive would definitely be the little brother, I call him 'kid' all the time, don't I? Wildwing. . . Well, Wildwing is really like both my younger and older brother at the same time. I probably feel that way because we both manipulate each other, like Nosedive manipulates Wildwing. I manipulated him into helping the people of earth and he manipulates me into doing photo-shoots. Not to mention he taught me how to fly the Aerowing.   
Actually, that was a lot of fun -- I scared the shit out of him, even if he _did_ have the mask on. Boy, did I ever enjoy that! Not many people can say that they were able to scare our 'fearless' leader, but I can't either since he made me swear I would never tell anyone. Sometimes I'm afraid that Nosedive is right, that his brother is never any fun. Of course, that fear is always dispelled whenever those two are yelling and screaming when they're having their weekly pillow fight every Friday. Don't ask me why it's every Friday -- it just is. I accidently walked in on them in the middle of one a few weeks ago and. . . Got massacred. Both turned on me instantly and wacked me until I ran away and grabbed my own pillow from my room before coming back. I lost track on how many times the three of us switched sides, changing the person that we were after. Eventually we collapsed into a tired heap, but still, it proves how close the three of us are.   
I really can't think of much else to say. I mean, we're just close, and there's really no explaination I can think of to explain it.   
Wildwing's probably the only one on the team that I don't call 'kid' at one moment or another. Actually, he _is_ the only one I don't call 'kid' on the team. I respect all of my team members, but I guess I respect him the most. He's a civilian, yet he's able to do what generals could, and better.   
Strange, I was never big on giving out my trust until Wildwing became leader of this team. Now we're all like a family, with Nosedive being the baby. Oh God, he'd kill me if he ever knew I thought that, or at least he'd play so many tricks on me that I would go insane. Either way, I'd rather keep him on my side.   
Never did I think I would be a part of such a family like the Mighty Ducks. But I have no regrets, nor will I ever, about being a member of this team. There's more to life now than the thrill of getting away clean, the sense of superiority after you get paid for a good heist. . . There's a lot more than that now.   
If I had a choice between my life in the Brotherhood of the Blade, or my life right now with the Mighty Ducks, I'd choose the life I have now. Life doesn't get better than this.   


The blazing Anaheim sun glowered down on the city, and the streets usually full of people were bare of the masses that crowded them. Few people dared venture out in the record-breaking heat, and most didn't even want to drive their cars. The only people out were insane or extremely resistant to heat.   
Nosedive was neither of them, or at least not the latter. However, even _he_ was beginning to question his sanity. Why the hell was he walking around town while it was beseiged by Hades? And why hadn't Wildwing forcibly dragged him into a shop with air-conditioning yet? Maybe the heat was finally getting to his brother's head, as well. Or maybe Drake Ducaine's mask had air conditioning. Yeah, that was probably it. Wildwing would have killed him by now, otherwise. Then again, he could just be too incapacitated to form coherent thoughts.   
In the end, the teenage Puckworlder lost his train of thought, sighing and giving up. Glancing back at his brother for a quick second, he was slightly relieved that Wildwing looked as hot as he felt. Good, he wasn't suffering by himself. Misery loves company, after all. And Nosedive was sure as hell pretty miserable.   
Wiping the sweat off of his forehead, Nosedive sighed and turned to look back at his brother again. Wildwing was sure trying to act like he was fine, but Nosedive could tell all too easily that Wildwing was enjoying it even less than he was. Sighing, the teenager looked around for a quick escape from the heat.   
He saw relief in the form of an icecream shop across the street and a smile crossed his face. Grabbing Wildwing's arm to get his brother's attention, Nosedive pointed at it. His brother smiled in agreement. There was no need for words in-between them. Then both wanted to get out of the heat, _fast_.   
"The next time I suggest walking to the Mall, hit me over the head with a hockey stick, okay bro'?" Nosedive muttered, earning a laugh from Wildwing, who ruffled the teenager's hair. "Hands off the hair!"   
"I'll do that, baby bro'. . . Although I'm sure it won't be this bad again." He replied, walking towards the intersection, Nosedive at his side.   
"Damnit!" Nosedive cursed, and Wildwing turned to look at Nosedive in shock, the boy giving him a hard glare. "You've just cursed us to a hundred years of feather-wilting heat!"   
They stared at each other for a moment, one set of eyes glaring and the other set blinking in confusion. Neither knew who started first, but both brothers were quickly laughing, Nosedive failing miserably at trying to duplicate Mallory's peircing glare of death as he burst out into laughter. People stared at them in shock, confused by their behavior. Why were they laughing? Didn't they come from a planet covered in _ice?_   
Nosedive grinned and grabbed Wildwing by the arm once more, dragging his brother behind him as they weaved through the non-existent crowd and headed towards the cross-walk. Wildwing found himself barely able to keep up with his younger brother, his mind in a bit of a daze from the heat. But somehow he managed, mostly because his brother was dragging him so he only had to do half the work, and soon they were waiting at the edge of the sidewalk, an annoyed look on Nosedive's face.   
"Aw man, you know that this light won't change for a hour now, right?" The teenager stated, frowning as he let go of Wildwing and folding his arms across his chest.   
Wildwing smiled at his pouting brother.   
"I'm sure you're exaggerating. It can't be _that_ bad." He stated and Nosedive snorted in response.   
"Oh yes it can. Watch and weep, 'Wing. Watch and weep."   
And so they did, patiently waiting for the light to change colors so they could cross. Well, they waited patiently for the first thirty seconds before they started to fidget. Nosedive pressed the button on the side of the pedestrian sign repeatedly,   
but it didn't help change the light. He even tried banging the thing a few times, but it still didn't do any good. Wildwing didn't even raise his voice at his brother, all too eager to get out of the heat himself. The only reason he could stand the heat had to do with the fact that the ice cream shop was across the street. But after two or three minutes, Wildwing began to loose his patience as well.   
Another minute and Nosedive gave up, throwing his hands up in the air as if silently saying 'Oh, what the hell,' and he began to cross. Wildwing grabbed his brother's wrist, holding the teenager back.   
"We can't cross yet. . ." Wildwing sighed, annoyed his brother had the guts to cross while he didn't. "You could get arrested!"   
Fed up with having to wait, Nosedive laughed and rolled his eyes, pulling his arm from Wildwing's gentle grip.   
"We haven't seen a single car for blocks! What's the chance one's going to come by anytime soon?" He replied, poking his brother in the chest, his other hand on his hip. "You're just being paranoid again!"   
"I am not! We're aliens here, and we have to obey their customs!" Wildwing stated hotly, and Nosedive cracked up.   
"'Customs'?! That's a new one! HA!" Nosedive grinned at his brother, trying to ignore the omnious feeling that suddenly began to grow in his chest. "C'mon, you know the light isn't going to change for another fifteen minutes, let's just go already!"   
"I don't think we should-" Wildwing began, but the teen cut him off.   
"See, _they're_ jay-walking, and look-!" He pointed at a small group of tourists walking over the crosswalk parallel to theirs before letting out a sarcastic gasp and bringing his hands to his face. "- They're not road-patties! They're alive!   
It's a miracle!"   
Wildwing sighed and rubbed his temples, ignoring Nosedive as he pretended to pray in reverence.   
"Oh, all right. . . But just this once! From now on we either drive to the mall, or we wait patiently for the light!"   
"Fine by me!" Nosedive grinned, knowing he had manipulated his brother yet again.   
Wildwing rolled his eyes as Nosedive let out a whoop of joy and started to quickly walk across the street, not going to tempt Wildwing's anger by running across.   
"Nosedive, look both ways before you cross!" Wildwing shouted after his brother, earning a dismissive wave from Nosedive, and he sighed in annoyance. "Nosedive!"   
"You're too paranoid, 'Wing! WAAYYYY too paranoid!" Nosedive laughed, turning around half-way there to look at his brother and stopping. "I'm not going to get hit or anything!"   
"Nosedive!" Wildwing called again, annoyance seeping into his voice. "Look both ways!"   
"Oh, c'mon! You're crazy AND paranoid!" The teen put his hand on his hips, watching Wildwing with amusement.   
But the feeling was growing, and his smile faltered as the hair on the back of his neck stood up.   
"NOSEDIVE!" Wildwing suddenly screamed his brother's name, his voice full of fear, his eyes wide.   
"Wha?" Nosedive blinked in surprise as his brother began running towards him. What had gotten into him?   
The screeching of tires to one side made Nosedive's blood run cold. He turned and found himself facing the front fender of an oncoming semi-trailer. The feeling in his chest grew beyond anything he had felt during his entire time on earth and he found his feet firmly rooted to the ground, despite the fact that his mind was screaming for him to run.   
Time seemed to slow and Nosedive swore that he saw his entire life flash past his eyes as they widened in mute horror. He couldn't move, he couldn't breath, he couldn't think. And he was about ready to die.   
He suddenly felt a force slam into him and he found himself twisting around, falling away from the truck, the entire world still in slow-motion.   
The truck missed hitting Nosedive.   
But it didn't miss hitting Wildwing.   
The next few moments were the worst of Nosedive's entire life. He could only watch, still falling, as the truck slammed into his brother's body.   
Eyes that were full of so many emotions, both named and nameless, became full of only one. Pain.   
And then there was the scream, the scream made the sight before Nosedive's eyes pale in comparison. A scream so horrible and frightening that it stole away Nosedive's breath.   
A blood-curdling scream.   
A death scream.   
It was then that time resumed its normal pace.   
Nosedive suddenly found breath, and he too screamed. Screamed as if his very life had been torn away from him. And in a way, it had.   
One second Wildwing was in front of him and the next second. . .   
The next second he was gone.   


Nosedive screamed loudly, shooting up, his body drenched in sweat. His heart was hammering against his chest and his breaths came in short, ragged gasps that brought air to his aching lungs. He took in breath after breath, ignoring his raw throat as it screamed for the pain to stop. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, and his eyes, although wide, were unseeing. The images he so desperately wanted to free himself from had trapped him, encircled him, and Nosedive found himself screaming again.   
"No! G-get out of my head, get out! GET OUT!" The duck cried, grabbing his head and shutting his eyes so tightly that he saw lines and spots dance in the darkness.   
His brother's scream was still echoing in his head, terrifying the teenage boy even more because it sounded so real. Too real. Nosedive froze, his body stiffening and his breath caught in his throat. He slowly drew his hands away from his head, turning his gaze slowly across the room.   
Nosedive feared what he would see. He feared that his brother would be dead. The boy was relieved when he didn't see Wildwing's dead body laying there.   
Then his heart stopped. His brother was gone!   
It only took a few seconds for him to react and he started screaming with renewed horror.   
"Wildwing! No, WILDWIIIIIINNG!" Nosedive shouted his denial, his screams choking up with sobs until they were fully overtaken. "No, no, NO!"   
His brother was dead, gone! It was all a dream! Wildwing never woke up, Wildwing never got better! He died! He was gone, GONE!   
All of it was a dream! How?? Why?!   
Someone was pulling him into their arms. No, no! He wanted Wildwing, no one else!   
He struggled against their hold, trying desperately to break free. This person wasn't Wildwing!   
His brother was dead. And nobody, _nobody_ could replace him! No one, ever!   
But no matter how hard he kicked and shrieked, the person holding him wouldn't let go. Didn't they understand they couldn't do anything for him, now that his brother was gone??   
Didn't they, didn't they??   
Nosedive fought against them as they began to slowly rock the teenager in their arms. Slowly he realized that it was a futile effort and he gave in, his body going slack as he took in deep breaths.   
The teenager began to cry, slowly at first, but he quickly dissolved into tears a few moments later. His vision blurring, Nosedive didn't struggle as the person ran their hands through his hair, whispering soft reassurances as they pulled him close to their chest.   
And Nosedive found himself swearing that the person was Wildwing, but they couldn't be. His brother would never comfort him again. He was dead.   
"Shh, it's alright, I'm okay. . ." The voice, that could _not_ be Wildwing's, told him, having a slightly begging tone.   
But the person wasn't Wildwing.   
Even then, his sobs began to slowly quiet and a few minutes later all he could hair was his breath and the gentle reassurances which were being said by someone other than Wildwing.   
Nosedive felt a beak gently nuzzling his own, and the teen's eyes flew open. He looked to the duck holding him in shock, hurt flashing across his gaze. Only Wildwing was allowed to do that!   
His heart skipped another beat as he watched Wildwing sigh sadly and run a hand through his hair.   
"Bad nightmare, baby bro'?" Wildwing asked, his voice full of worry and his eyes sympathetic.   
When he didn't get an immediate response, Wildwing blinked down at his little brother, confusion written across his face.   
"Bro', you feeling okay?" He felt the boy's forehead, smiling gently at him. "Guess so, no fever. . ."   
Nosedive let out a small sob, half-jumping into Wildwing and wrapping his arms around his older brother's neck. Wildwing nearly fell over, eyes widening in surprise as his brother sniffled in his arms. The boy rested his head on the duck's shoulder, letting out a small sigh of relief as Wildwing embraced him tenderly.   
They stayed that way for a while, just holding each other close, Nosedive taking comfort in his brother's warm presence. Wildwing just quietly stroked through his brother's hair, neither of them saying a word. Nosedive wished that moment would have lasted for all eternity, but it didn't.   
"Was the dream about something happening to me?" Eventually Wildwing broke the silence, his voice soft and worried.   
Nosedive merely nodded, not trusting his voice.   
"About me. . ." Wildwing paused, choosing his words carefully. "About me being hit by the truck?"   
His brother flinched visibly and nodded, a small sob escaping from his tight throat.   
Wildwing pulled him closer, rubbing his back.   
"I w-was so afraid I would loose you! The dream, it was so real! I thought you really had died! I thought that you waking up was a dream!" The teenager sobbed and Wildwing could clearly see how much fear was still in his little brother's heart.   
How could he tell this wasn't a dream?   
"God, 'Dive. . ." The older sibling held his brother all the tighter. "You know I'd never leave you like that."   
"It seemed so real. . ." Nosedive whispered, looking up to lock eyes with his older brother, trying to make Wildwing understand how awful it had been. "I-I could hear your scream in my head!"   
Wildwing began to say something comforting when Nosedive's com-link beeped. Nosedive looked at it blearily, but didn't bother to answer it. Instead, his brother was the one to pick it up off of the dresser next to his bed and activate it.   
"Wildwing here."   
"Is the kid okay?" The concerned face on it was that of Duke. "We heard him screaming and we thought something happened to you guys."   
"Everything's okay, 'Dive just had a bad dream." Wildwing replied, patting his brother's back as he addressed Duke and the other ducks that were looking over the gray duck's shoulder. "I got 'im, don't worry. Go back to bed, everyone."   
Duke smiled, relieved.   
"Right. Wildwing, tell that kid that he's got some lungs -- I think some of Grin's meditation crystals might've broke."   
"Hey!" Nosedive replied indignantly, frowning. "My scream wasn't *THAT* high-pitched!"   
Wildwing snorted and Duke laughed, along with the others behind the eldest duck of the team. Tanya knew that Wildwing had gotten out of bed, but considering the fact that Nosedive's scream had woken up the entire Pond, she decided to let this time slide. Grin looked concerned, bending down so he could be seen in the communicator over Duke's shoulder.   
"Sleep well, little friend."   
Nosedive rolled his eyes.   
"You know me, I'll sleep like a log."   
"And then some." Mallory added and Nosedive stuck his tongue out at her.   
"Don't make me have to die your hair blue." He grinned.   
"Don't make me have to kidnap you, tie you up, and take you to the North Pole so I can stick your head in a snow drift." She smiled sweetly, the others chuckling.   
"Don't make me have to sic Wildwing on you! He bites really hard!" Nosedive replied without missing a beat and Wildwing raised an eyebrow at him.   
"What?" Nosedive asked, grinning as he looked up at Wildwing. "You _do_ bite hard!"   
"I don't even _want_ to know where that came from!" Mallory stated, shutting off Duke's com, as he was laughing too hard to do it himself.   
Nosedive started to laugh as Wildwing playfully punched him in his shoulder.   
"Very funny, baby bro', very funny." He tried his best to seem annoyed, but the amusement in his voice gave him away.   
"Hey, it's my job!" Nosedive laughed, smiling.   
Wildwing rolled his eyes and sighed.   
"Yeah, no one can come up with as lame of jokes as you can."   
"Duke's the one that comes up with really lame jokes." Nosedive replied, matter-of-factly. "I'm the one that comes up with the _funny_ ones."   
That earned a ruffling of his hair and he laughed, smiling up at his brother.   
Wildwing didn't return the smile though, suddenly lost in thought. Nosedive's smile faded and he looked up at his brother uncertainly. Why wasn't Wildwing smiling? Fear clutched at his heart, and he afraid Wildwing might suddenly vanish.   
"What happened, you know, after-" Wildwing paused, for a moment, taking a deep breath and locking eyes with his brother. "-After I got hit?"   
Nosedive winced and looked away, his voice barely a whisper, a different sort of fear and pain in his eyes than before.   
"The others didn't tell you?" He asked quietly, closing his eyes.   
"No, they said you never told them what happened." Wildwing sighed.   
"Do you really want to know? I-" Nosedive winced. "- don't like remembering it, you were so still a-and I thought you were dead!"   
"Nosedive-" Wildwing began, but was cut off by his brother.   
"You were just lying there, Wildwing! Just lying there! God, it was so awful. . ."   
The teenager sobbed, pressing closer to his brother.   
But Nosedive found that he had to tell someone, and, before he knew it, the words were spilling out of his mouth.   


"WILDWING!" Nosedive screamed as the truck came to a screeching halt. "Wildwing, Wildwing!!"   
The duck was thrown from the front of the semi-truck by his momentum, skidding and rolling across the asphalt, leaving a streak of blood in his wake. He came to a stop and was still. Very still. Unnaturally still.   
"No, Wildwing!!" Nosedive let out a scream and ran to his brother's side, falling down on his knees next to Wildwing's still form.   
He shook his brother's lifeless body, but there was no response.   
"N-No, you gotta wake up! Y-You're okay, get up, get up!" He yelled, tears blurring his vision. "I-I'm sorry about not listening to you, okay?! J-Just get up!"   
Wildwing didn't move.   
"Please, please! D-don't die. . ." Nosedive's throat tightened, as tears began to trail down his cheeks. "D-don't die! Don't leave me by myself! Please! PLEASE!"   
The blood was beginning to pool around Wildwing's body, and the sick wetness started to soak through Nosedive's jeans. Looking down, the younger brother let out a cry of shock, realizing his brother was going to bleed to death. Nosedive froze, staring at Wildwing in horror.   
Suddenly there was someone beside him, someone he didn't know. She was kneeling beside him, telling him to call his team for help. The woman had some sort of metal box with her, and was pulling bandages and other materials from it. He didn't hear what she was saying, his mind and world a blur as he sobbed over his brother's body. Nosedive didn't even remember pressing himself into Wildwing, but suddenly he was pulled away from his brother.   
"If you want him to live, you'd best let me do my work!" The woman stated, and when Nosedive didn't resist being pulled away, she busied herself with Wildwing.   
He just watched in shock as she bandaged his brother, racing against time and all odds, but he did nothing. Nosedive couldn't move, even though he wanted to help her. The young duck dimly noticed her silver hair, maybe she was someone's grandmother?   
But Nosedive didn't care at the moment. All he cared about then was his brother and nothing mattered more, not even his own life. His brother was the one surrounded in a pool of his own blood, slowly drifting from life.   
Wildwing let out an unconscious cry of pain and Nosedive jerked his head to look at his brother's face. Even with the Mask on, the boy could tell that the other duck was in pain. His brother was in pain. Wildwing was in pain. And Nosedive didn't know what to do!   
He wanted to remove the Mask so he could see his brother's face again, before he died, but he couldn't bring his hands up to remove it. Something was telling Nosedive to not take it off, to let it stay there. Nosedive felt that Wildwing would have no chance of survival if he removed it. And so it stayed.   
Nosedive came out of his thoughts to notice that Wildwing's eyes were tiny slits, the pupils big and dilated. He was looking straight at his brother, but there was no recognition in his eyes.   
"W-Wildwing. . ." Nosedive whispered, stroking his brother's cheek gently and getting no response to the touch. "Don't you recognize me? C-C'mon, this isn't funny, say something, anything! W-Wildwing!"   
There was no reply, and Nosedive took a closer look at Wildwing's eyes and froze, his own eyes widening in horror. Wildwing's eyes were glazed over, void of all life.   
They weren't eyes of a living being.   
They were the eyes of one that was dead.   
And they closed for what Nosedive had thought would be the last time, Wildwing letting out a shuddering sigh, as if his soul had left his body.   


"You can't remember what she looks like?" Wildwing asked, slightly surprised, interrupting Nosedive.   
"It didn't really matter what she looked like. She saved you, and that's all that matters." Nosedive laughed sadly. "If it wasn't for her, you would've died. . . Whoever she is, she kept you from leaving me."   
Wildwing rubbed his brother's back, listening intently.   
"To tell the truth, I can't even remember what she said her name was, I was so far in shock. Hell, I that way until. . ." He trailed off, eyes distant.   
"Until what?" Wildwing prompted, his voice gentle and soft, reassuring Nosedive.   
"Until _they_ decided to come out and see what they hit with their truck."   


Everything was quickly becoming a blur to Nosedive, his tears cascading down his cheeks and falling to the harsh pavement. Wildwing wasn't supposed to go like this, not like this! He was supposed to come back with Nosedive to Puckworld and die in his sleep!   
Wildwing wasn't supposed to be in pain like this! His death was supposed to be quiet and peace, not roaring and violent! And not now, not now! He was supposed to be dying at home and surrounded by family, not in the middle of some unforgiving road, with only Nosedive by his side!   
Nosedive began to sob, his quick breaths choked with tears. His body began to ache and the pain from the scraps and bruises he had gotten in his fall magnified until it became almost unbearable. He shook violently with unrestrained cries, shutting his eyes tight. His entire world was suddenly unraveling at the seams. Nosedive was unable to stop the tears from falling, nor did he want to ever stop crying. And so he wept.   
There was nothing he could do to save his brother, nothing. His brother was now dying because of his stupidity -- had he only listened, Wildwing wouldn't have been hurt in the first place! It was all his fault!   
The woman bandaging his brother gave a cry of warning, but Nosedive barely heard her. It felt as if he was in another world, another time and space. He felt detached from his body and the scene around him. All Nosedive wanted to do was to wake up and find that he was just having a nightmare, but he knew that it wasn't a figment of his imagination. It was real. Wildwing was really dying.   
Again, the woman let out another cry of warning, something about a gun, but he still couldn't digest the information. Nosedive couldn't even remember what a gun was. The young duck was still seperated from the rest of time, and he never wanted to have to experience it again, wishing he would drop dead next to his brother, then and there.   
But then a searing pain shot through his arm and he let out a cry of shock as he was thrust back into the torrent of reality. The bullet had only truthfully nicked his upper arm, however, it had been enough to bring him back. Wincing as he grabbed his bleeding arm, Nosedive looked behind him to see who had shot him.   
The man holding the gun could only be described as punk gangster. The leather outfit, the smirk on his face, the coldness in his eyes -- it all spoke that he only valued his own life. He laughed coldly, cocking his gun once more.   
"That other freak's still alive, isn't he?" The man asked and Nosedive's eyes narrowed. "A shame, really. It would've been easier for 'im if he had died when he impacted my bumper! Now I gotta shoot him to death, too!"   
Something inside of Nosedive snapped and he let out a cry of outrage, changing into his armor. The man smirked and aimed at Nosedive. Then there was the sound of a projectile hitting soft flesh and breaking bones.   
Without even a groan, the man fell backwards to the pavement, a rivet of blood slowly forming between his eyes. Nosedive's grip had been firm on his puckblaster, but then his heart stopped in shock. The grip he had on his puckblaster loosened and he nearly dropped it. He had shot the guy and he didn't even remember pulling out his puckblaster in the first place! But that wasn't what shocked him the most. What surprised him the most was that he had aimed to kill. Not to disable, as he had been taught to do by his brother, but to kill. Had he used anything other than a puckblaster, he would've killed.   
There was a shout of surprise from the man riding shotgun in the truck, and Nosedive finally realized that he was there.   
"Hey, that duck just iced Joey!" He cried and there were yells of anger as doors on the semi slammed open. "Get him!"   
The shock was gone and replaced by the cold fury that had taken ahold of him before. All thoughts of moderation were gone, all sense of morality and ethnics thrown out the window. Nosedive knew that if he held back at all, he and his brother might die, and he wasn't going to allow that to happen. The only thing that Nosedive could do for his brother now was to protect him, and he was going to do exactly that -- No matter the cost.   
No matter the cost, Nosedive was going to make sure that his brother survived. And to do that, he had to get rid of the gangsters. His grip once again tight around his puckblaster, Nosedive raised it and aimed.   
Then, he fired. And he fired again. And again. And again . . .   


"I-I don't want to remember anymore-!" Nosedive suddenly interrupted his narrative, a small sob escaping from his throat. "I don't want to remember, I don't want to remember!"   
Wildwing pulled his brother close again and rocked him back and forth once more, whispering words of comfort. He felt Nosedive tense up in his arms before he relaxed and pressed closer to him. Looking down at his brother, Wildwing's eyes softened.   
"You, you were so still. . . You weren't moving, or-or anything! You were just-" Nosedive took a shaky breath before continuing. "-lying there."   
Wildwing nuzzled his brother's hair gently and Nosedive sighed, laying his cheek down onto Wildwing's shoulder. He didn't say anything, other than mummer a few more quiet reassurances, so Nosedive took it as a sign that he should go on.   
"I-I couldn't let them take you away, though -- I mean, after all we've been through, I couldn't let some stupid thugs kill you! A-And I didn't want to loose you. . ." The teenager spoke softly, and Wildwing smiled sadly.   
"You probably handled yourself better than I would've had it been you lying there." Wildwing stated and Nosedive looked up in shock as he continued, albeit frowning slightly. "I would've outright killed them."   
"Wildwing-"   
"-You know I would have, 'Dive. You know how important you are to me, don't you?" Wildwing replied, and Nosedive nodded in response.   
"Y-Yeah, I know. I'm just as important to you as you are to me." Nosedive grinned weakly and nuzzled his brother with his beak like Wildwing had all those times, causing the elder brother to smile.   
"And you know that you get your temper from me, too." Wildwing added.   
"Don't I know it." Nosedive laughed, much happier than he had been a few minutes ago -- talking to his brother had that effect on him. "But you should be happy you don't get your temper from Mal-Mal."   
"Nosedive?" Wildwing finally replied after a minute of silence.   
"Yeah?" Nosedive grinned back at Wildwing.   
"If I got my temper from Mallory, we'd all be dead. Or Phil, anyways." Wildwing joked and Nosedive snorted.   
"Phil being dead wouldn't be such a bad thing, would it? I mean, no more photo shoots, no more signing autographs, no more destruction of what few shreds of dignity we have left. . ." The boy began to list the advantages of Phil being six feet under and Wildwing ruffled his hair.   
"If Phil was dead, then I'd make _you_ do the taxes." Wildwing grinned evilly and Nosedive made a face.   
"And here I thought that Dragaunus was evil!" Nosedive mock-shuddered, and a thought occured to him. "Hey, why do we have to pay taxes, anyways? We aren't even citizens!"   
"It's a deal we have with the government. If we pay taxes, they don't deport us for not having a green card. And they can't dissect us, either." Wildwing shrugged.   
"You mean there's other people than that crazy bum, Doctor Praetorius, that want to dissect us and look at our brain folds?! Ugh!" Nosedive looked disgusted, and Wildwing sighed.   
"There's bad eggs in every species, 'Dive. Remember Lucretia?"   
"Don't remind me -- as pretty as she was, she was a cold-hearted bitch." Nosedive spat and Wildwing blinked in surprise. "Hell, she nearly got us all killed!"   
"Nosedive?" This side of his brother was something Wildwing rarely saw.   
"You nearly died because of her!" Nosedive stated hotly. "And on top of that, I was flirting with her! Had I known what she was planning to do, I would've-"   
Wildwing put a hand over Nosedive's beak, clamping it shut, effectively ending his brother's tirade.   
"Shh, baby bro', calm down." Wildwing smiled softly as Nosedive's cheeks took on a tinge of pink.   
"S-sorry, got cared away. . ." Nosedive apologized sheepishly after Wildwing took his hand off of his beak.   
"Don't worry, it happens to the best of us." Laughing lightly, Wildwing smiled down at his brother.   
"Does this mean you're not going to ground me for cursing?" Nosedive grinned.   
"Is that going to stop you from cursing?" Wildwing asked.   
"Uhm, well, no." Nosedive replied, smiling guiltily.   
"Then I shouldn't bother." Wildwing stated dryly.   
Nosedive yawned just then, and laid back down.   
"Well, if I'm not in trouble, then I'm going back to sleep." The boy grinned at his brother as Wildwing laid down next to him.   
"Wait!" Nosedive blinked at Wildwing's urgent whisper.   
"What, big bro'?" He asked, looking to his brother in confusion.   
"What happened after -- after the fight?" Wildwing asked, his voice suddenly shaky.   
Nosedive turned to look at his brother, tears quickly forming in the corners of his eyes, and he sat up so he could breathe. He had hoped that he wouldn't have to tell Wildwing the rest, but his brother insisted. Wildwing had a right to know, however, and he couldn't refuse him. . . But he wished so much that he didn't have to remember. . .   
Wildwing, seeing the hurt in his brother's eyes at the memory, sat up and wrapped his arm around Nosedive's waist, pulling him close. The boy took comfort in Wildwing's presence and found that he again had the strength to talk. It was as if he had to get it out of him, to tell someone about everything that happened. Despite that, Nosedive's reply was quiet and frightened, and Wildwing had to strain his ears to hear it.   
"What else do . . . do you think happened? I-I called for help."   


There was a moment's shock at what he had done, but a small groan from Wildwing reminded Nosedive that time was against them. But how could he help his brother? How could he save his life? Was there even anything he could do?!   
Nosedive ran over to his brother, falling next to him once more, his thoughts frantic as he tried to think of anyway he could do to help. No matter how hard he tried, however, his mind turned up nothing. All he could think about was the fact that his brother was lying on the road, limp and bleeding . . .   
"We need to get him medical attention!" The woman tending to Wildwing shouted at Nosedive, and he looked at her in shock. "Is there anyway you can call an ambulance?"   
He blinked and shook his head weakly, his face draining of color.   
"N-No, Oh God. . ." If Tanya was there, she'd know what to do.   
Tanya, he could call Tanya!   
Flipping open his comlink, Nosedive screamed Tanya's name, hoping that she'd be the one to answer.   
"T-Tanya, answer, damnit, answer!!" He yelled, frantic again, his panic returning.   
"Wha -- Ow, ow! Not so loud!" Tanya winced on the other side of the connection, but all thoughts of chastising the boy fell away as she took in his appearance. "N-Nosedive, what -- what happened??"   
"W-Wildwing! W-Wildwing, he w-was . . . was. . ." Nosedive suddenly couldn't speak past the lump in his throat and he let out a small sob.   
"W-Was what?" Tanya asked, her faced paling before she realized what he was trying to say. "H-He's hurt?!"   
Nosedive could only manage a mute nod, barely withholding his sobs.   
"Oh no. . . Oh no! Is he okay, is he bleeding?!" Tanya freaked, eyes wide in horror.   
"S-Some woman's tending to him, I-I don't know her name, even-"   
"Cassie, it's Cassie." The human interrupted, smiling sadly. "He doesn't have any broken bones, amazingly, but he has a good number of cuts and bruises as well as a bad concussion, and he might need life support if it hurt him badly enough! Hurry, I don't know how to do CPR on a duck!"   
Tanya looked for the person who spoke, but Cassie was off-screen and Tanya couldn't see her. Realizing that, Tanya nodded to Nosedive, her voice still weak, but slightly stronger than it had been a second ago.   
"W-We'll be right there, just h-hold on!" Tanya stated, and she turned to yell something behind her shoulder, probably at the others. "We'll be there in the M-Migrator in five minutes, just keep your comlink o-on so we can t-track you!"   
The boy nodded, again not trusting his voice, and Tanya's face disappeared from the screen. He shivered, his eyes trailing back to his brother's limp body. What had Wildwing done to deserve this? Why did this have to happen to Wildwing, out of all people? Why him?   
Sirens interrupted his thoughts and he looked up as four or five police cars thundered onto the scene, screeching to a halt about twenty feet away. As the police came out, armed and ready for a fight, Nosedive found only one that he could   
recognize. He, including the other cops, looked upon the scene in shock -- their work had already been done for them.   
Captain Klegghorn's eyes fell onto Nosedive's kneeled form and he slowly walked over towards the boy as his men set out to handcuff the stirring criminals. He had a million things he wanted to say, a million angry remarks about not contacting the proper authorities, but those all died away as he finally saw past Cassie and the human froze.   
Nosedive had turned his attention back to his brother, and was sobbing, quietly begging for his brother to wake up. Wildwing had multiple cuts and bruises, and his clothes were bloodied even though he had been bandaged. Looking quickly to the semi-truck, Klegghorn saw that the dent in it was about the size of Wildwing, and he realized what it meant. The smoking puckblaster told the second half of the story. His brother had only been protecting him, keeping Wildwing safe while the woman bandaged him.   
He instead found himself kneeling next to the alien teenager, letting Cassie fill him in on what happened and holding silent vigil with the duck and the woman.   
  


"I didn't have any broken bones?" Wildwing asked in surprise as Nosedive lapsed into silence.   
His brother smiled grimly in response.   
"Tanya still has no idea how that happened -- I mean, the force behind that truck and the way it hit you. . . Y-You should've . . . should've-" Nosedive couldn't bear to say it.   
"Died?" Wildwing's voice was barely a whisper, but Nosedive heard it and nodded in reply, flincing. "Then how-?"   
"-Tanya said she doesn't know, a-and I have no clue -- it was as if something was protecting you, you know? I mean, it's the only explaination we got. You-" Nosedive cut himself off as Wildwing pulled him into another close embrace, brushing the boy's bangs away from his eyes.   
"You're shaking . . ." Wildwing muttered and Nosedive grinned weakly at him, shivering.   
"I-I am, a-aren't I?" He laughed nervously, and Wildwing ran a cool hand through his hair, causing the teenager to smile a little brighter.   
He was safe, he reminded himself. He was safe, he was in his room, and his brother was beside him. Everything was okay now, so why did the memories scare him so much? His brother was alive and well, wasn't he? Wasn't he?   
"Just take a couple of deep breaths, baby bro', and you'll be okay. . ." Wildwing stated, talking in a soothing voice.   
Nosedive nodded slightly, taking in deep breaths as told, and felt the fear drain away, bit by bit. He still shook and Wildwing took notice, worry evident on his face.   
"Nosedive?" Wildwing spoke his brother's name and the teenager looked up at him.   
"I love you." He whispered, smiling softly, and Nosedive broke into a wide grin.   
"I love you, too, Wildwing!" Nosedive laughed, hugging his brother close.   
Pausing, he thought for a moment and then his gaze grew accusing.   
"You said that so I would stop shaking, didn't you?" He asked slyly and Wildwing grinned back at him.   
"What do you think?" Wildwing replied, poking his brother's side.   
"I think that you're more devious than you look. Behind those innocent eyes-" his brother snorted at this, "- is a schemer!"   
"Oh really?" Wildwing raised an eyebrow, voice amused. "And what do I scheme about?"   
"You scheme about. . . about . . ." Nosedive was quickly running out of ideas and stated the first one that came to mind ". . . Potatoes!"   
"Potatoes?" Wildwing bit back a laugh.   
"Yes, potatoes! You play to raise an entire potato army to eat all the McDonald's french fries in the world!" Nosedive snickered, trying hard not to burst out laughing himself.   
Wildwing took his cue.   
"Oh! How could you have figured out my plan so soon?" He let out a mock-gasp. "And just to think, I only began it a minute ago!"   
"You're loosing your touch." Nosedive replied, and Wildwing ruffled his hair. "Hey, watch the 'do!"   
"I am watch it! I'm just messing it up, too." Wildwing stated.   
"Ha ha ha." Nosedive mock-glared, trying to fix his hair.   
"Why are you bothering to fix you hair at three in the morning?" Wildwing asked, and Nosedive blinked, before blushing.   
"U-Uhm, 'cause I wasn't thinking?" Nosedive grinned.   
"Thought so." Wildwing smirked.   
"Hey!" Nosedive frowned indignantly.   
Wildwing laughed and ruffled Nosedive's hair once again. Nosedive tried to get away, but failed and let out a squawk. He smiled up to his brother, but his smile faded suddenly, leaving Wildwing confused.   
". . . Nosedive?" Wildwing whispered, pushing a lock of hair out of Nosedive's eyes. "What's wrong?"   
"Y-You want to know the rest of it -- the rest of what happened -- d-don't you?" Nosedive asked, his voice shaky.   
Wildwing nodded softly, sighing.   
"Everything."   
Nosedive pressed closer to his brother, taking comfort in his presence. He rested against his brother for a few minutes, gathering his strength. Then, he continued his story once more.   


The waiting was the worst. Before -- when they were under attack -- Nosedive knew he could do something to help his brother. But, now that all of that was over . . . He could do nothing but wait. He couldn't do a thing for his brother. All he could was watch his brother's still body, and that killed him. Nosedive wanted to be able to help his brother, not just be with him!   
He continued to sob, harsh tears trailing down his cheeks. He couldn't help his brother. There was nothing he could do! If Wildwing died, he couldn't save him. . . Nosedive could only watch him die!   
This wasn't happening, this couldn't be happening. It was impossible! Wildwing couldn't die, could he? It had to be an awful nightmare, it just had to be! He couldn't be dying. . .   
Captain Klegghorn frowned, watching Nosedive's breathing come harsher and harsher, as the boy grew more panicked. He wouldn't admit it, but he was worried about the alien boy. Nosedive was freaking out, that much was obvious, and he might hyperventilate if he continued to worsen.   
Sighing softly, Klegghorn placed a hand on Nosedive's shoulder, and the boy looked at him in shock.   
"You have to calm down." The human stated, and Nosedive shook his head furiously.   
"I-I can't!" Nosedive sobbed, his entire body shivering.   
"You have to!" Klegghorn stated more firmly.   
"N-No!" Nosedive cried.   
Captain Klegghorn got fed up with him then and there. Glaring at him, he gripped Nosedive's chin and turned the boy's head so they were eye-to-eye. Nosedive was too upset and shocked to resist.   
"Crying won't heal your brother! You can cry later, but right now you need to be able to think!" He shouted, and the boy froze, before nodding slightly in agreement and falling silent, albeit the occasional sniffle. "Okay?"   
"O-Okay. . ." Nosedive whispered weakly, getting his sobs under control.   
The others chose to arrive just then, the Migrator coming to a halt past the police cars. Seconds after the vehicle came to a stop, the ramp was coming down with Tanya, Mallory, and Grin rushing out before it had even touched the ground. Duke was a few seconds behind, presumably the one that was at the wheel. Grin was carrying a stretcher and Tanya a first aid kit, despite the fact that she knew that Cassie had already bandaged Wildwing.   
"W-Wildwing. . ." Nosedive whimpered as Tanya and Grin carefully put Wildwing on the stretcher.   
Duke kneeled beside Nosedive, wrapping an arm around Nosedive's shoulders.   
"C'mon, kid, let's get you and your brother inside the migrator." He whispered, his voice soft and soothing. "We're going to take care of Wildwing now, don't worry. . ."   
"H-He's going to be okay, r-right?" Nosedive asked Duke, his voice quiet and afraid.   
"Wildwing got hit by a truck and only got a concussion, of c-course he's going to be okay!" Duke's slight studder spoke differently, but Nosedive was too upset to notice it as Duke helped him stand up.   
Nosedive let out an inaudiable gasp as his world began to spin, and he clutched to Duke, unable to keep his balance. Everything became blurry and darkened, his vision narrowing at an alarming rate. Duke shouted something at him, but he sounded so far away . . .   
He felt as if he was made of air, as if he was drifting away. . . The ground was suddenly rushing up to meet him as he lost his grip on Duke, but his vision faded before he met the ground. Darkness took him away from the world, and he didn't feel himself hit the ground, and the shouts around him sounded like the buzzing of bees.   
Everything was so quiet and comforting and peaceful. For a second, he felt as if someone was shaking him, that his head was rolling uselessly, but the feeling past, and he felt nothing.   
When the darkness came to him, took him fully from the world, he welcomed it.   


"Tanya said afterwards that I lost a good deal of blood. That, combined with the shock of you being hurt and the energy wasted by the fight, caused me to loose consciousness." Nosedive sighed in relief, glad that he had nothing more to really   
remember. "I woke up in the infirmary a day later, and, well, you can guess the rest."   
Wildwing nodded, and sighed.   
"Did anything else happen when I was in the infirmary?" Wildwing asked and Nosedive nodded slightly, wincing.   
"Y-Your heart stopped a couple of times a-and I thought you had died!" Nosedive cried, and Wildwing blinked in surprise, going pale.   
"It. . . It did?" Wildwing whispered, and Nosedive again nodded, pressing into Wildwing.   
"Y-yeah, and the others had to tie me down whenever that happened. . ." Nosedive laughed weakly, and Wildwing grew alarmed.   
"What, _why_?" His eyes widened and he looked at his brother in surprise.   
Nosedive laughed weakly again.   
"'Cause then I'd get in their way. . . And I probably would've torn you apart." Nosedive admitted, shuddering. "I was so freaked out that I was hardly sane."   
"God, I'm sorry-" Wildwing began to apologize.   
"-Don't be. We both survived, didn't we?" Nosedive stated, smiling softly.   
"I guess. . ." Wildwing sighed, voice tired.   
"I think we should go to bed, now." Nosedive laughed, noticing his brother's eyes slowly closing, and Wildwing nodded mutely. "Before you crash and end up snoring on the floor."   
"Hey!" Wildwing protested, but any else he said was lost in a yawn.   
Nosedive chuckled softly, forcing his brother to lie back down before curling up against him. Wildwing wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders and yawned again. This caused Nosedive to laugh again and Wildwing gave him a half-hearted glare.   
"Oh hush." Wildwing muttered, and Nosedive stuck his tongue out at him.   
"Now where's the fun in that?" Nosedive smirked.   
"Don't make me kill you because of lack of sleep." Wildwing replied with a yawn.   
"How could you be sleepy? I'm not, I'm completely a-" The rest of Nosedive's sentence was cut short by a yawn of his own.   
Wildwing snickered.   
"You were saying?"   
"Shut up. It's your fault, you're making me yawn!" Nosedive stated, then promptly yawned again.   
"Goodnight, baby bro'." Wildwing chuckled, closing his eyes.   
Nosedive sighed and closed his eyes as well.   
"Goodnight, 'Wing."   
They were both asleep a minute later, both unaware of the world around them, their dreams peaceful. Their dreams, however, would have not been as peaceful, had they known what was in store for them in the next couple of weeks.   


*End of Chapter 2* 

Author's end-note: *Evil cackle* I'm falling in love with this fanfic, it's so much fun to write. XD More evilness to come in the next chapter, which will have an actual plot! And, of course, it having an actual plot means that something's going to happen! Yea! But how did Wildwing survive getting hit without receiving any broken bones? That's a mystery that'll be solved in either later chapters or a later story. XD Give me your theories, through e-mail, of course, so you don't spoil the plot for everyone else if you don't guess it right. And no, Wildwing doesn't have magic! That's not actually in the plan. ::Evil cackle, knowing she's now stumped half of the people that read her fanfic.:: Uhm. . . And don't forget to R&R, please! 

Author's second end-note: Rofl, Return of the Author Notes. . . Better than Attack of the Cloned Author Notes, I suppose. I'm afraid I might not get out chapter three for a while, since I was 3/4th's done with the second chapter when I realized the fanfic was too long to be a one-shot, so I split them. =P That's why this chapter came out so soon after the other one. Although I'll be more inclined to work faster on it if more people review my story, rofl. Pweasy? It inspires me! 


	3. Gone and Taken

The Aftermath   


By Icelightning   


Chapter 3: Gone and Taken   


Author's begging note: Someone draw a picture of Wildwing and Nosedive hugging! PLEASE! I never see any cute pictures between those two! Please! Please Please Please Please Please! Spread the word! Get everyone to do a cute picture between those two! See, I did one, so I filled my requirement~ http://www.geocities.com/icelightning_96/wingdive.jpg Snuggling, laughing, sleeping, ANYTHING! PLEASSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! I can't stand the fact that no one ever draws those two together! It's driving me crazy! T.T I wanna draw a picture of them hugging, but I don't have the time or the patience right now, so pleasseeeeeeeeee!!! =D I'll see you my soul if you'll draw one~ Er.. Wait a second.. Maybe not that much. But please, please please please! >; It'll make me write faster, I promise! And whoever sends me the first picture of them will get to read the next chapter first! Really, promise~ 

Author's Note: The original chapter title was "Gone and Taken." Lol, thought you might want to know. I had to change it after an idea popped into my head and it no longer appropriately described the chapter. Another thing I need to mention is that I had all these ideas before Ladynero's fanfics came out, I just have had a hard time trying to figure out how to utilize them. (So, if this fanfic is anything like any of hers, I apologize in advance! I didn't mean to steal anyone's ideas, but I've plotted through enough of the story in my head that I can't change them now!) Don't worry, everything that's going on will be explained in later chapters. . . Or a later fanfic. I'm trying to keep to one major event per fanfic, so this plants the seeds for the next fanfic in line. 

Author's 1.5th Note: Uhm, scratch that, I'm saving that one idea until the next fanfic. Mwuahahaha. =P It's Gone and Taken again! 

Author's Second Note: I'm probably going to love this chapter just as much as I did the last one, although it might be a little *LESS* evil. (Note later added: Instead it's going to be ten times more confusing than the last chapter!) I thought this chapter was going to be shorter than the others, but I think that's not the case anymore. Maybe a page or two shorter, or maybe even longer. We'll see. (Edit: 10 Pages, 3 pages smaller than the others. =P) And I'm writing the POV last, because I have no idea who I want to be talking next or what I want them to talk about. . . 

Random Author's Note: I'm trying to keep to the original ducks for this fanfic, just because I don't really want to introduce new characters at the moment. I want to focus on the old ones first and *LATER* I might add some in. I got some plot twists for a later fanfic that have never been done before . . . At least, I've never read a fanfic that the idea had occurred in. Ah well, it'll be fun. And I'm bloody tired of writing this note, so we're going onto the story now because at this point in time, it's 12:30 in the morning (when I started writing, that is) and I want to do some evil! (That sounds so dirty) Mwuahahahahaha! . . . No more apple-juice for me. . . And you know what? Ducks bite hard. They do. They really do. So don't piss off a duck. 

Another author's note: And then suddenly the POV attacks me and says it wants to be written first, the greedy little thing it is! =P Figures, doesn't it? I'm going to edit this later, I just wanted to upload this now. And I rushed a little with the ending, many apologies!   


Do you know how much it hurts to hear people say that you're a heartless bitch and then you start to think that they might be right? For the longest time, my whole life on Puckworld, I didn't care. I didn't need anyone -- family was useless. My parents never had time to take care of me because of the duties they had to the army, so maybe that's why I think that way. I never had one real birthday -- I never got presents, not even a "Happy Birthday!" They said that they would spoil me and I would end up rotten if they did that. So they yelled at me instead.   
"Mallory, straighten that collar!" "Mallory, you missed a spot, do this entire room over!" That's all I ever heard when we were all together and they were on vacation leave. They never criticized each other, just me. They loved each other, but they didn't love me. I swear that I must've been an accident -- Mother didn't even nurse me at all. When we're hatched, we're supposed to be nursed at least once, so that we'll get anti-bodies from our mother's milk. Mine didn't even do that, despite the fact that the nurses begged her, and in the end I nearly died because of it, but she didn't care.   
I heard the entire story from one of the nurses. She remembered me because I had red hair, which is rare on Puckworld. It was in the Resistance Infirmary where I met her -- she had worked undercover in one of the camps to help some children escape. She was dying. There's not much of her words that I can exactly remember, except that she told me I "was a beautiful baby."   
Something about her began to change the way that I see the world. She had a rare disease that should've killed her long before she would've managed to free those kids. But somehow, she held on and only gave in after she had saved them. They gave her a reason to live, and she fought so that they might be free. Sheer willpower had held the progression of the disease at bay. It made me begin to question the idea that emotions were useless. I only questioned it more as I grew to know the team after Canard was lost to Dimensional Limbo.   
Suddenly I felt a part of something -- something more than just a team. Tanya's my best friend and she's like a sister to me, despite the fact that I don't know the first thing abou machines. Wildwing's a good friend -- and he knows me almost too well, so that he can tell right before my temper explodes. Duke, even though I used to hate him, is the teasing older brother. Grin's also a good listener and he knows just what to say to calm me down. And Nosedive . . . Well, Nosedive's the annoying little brother you love and hate at the same moment. I may threaten to hurt him when I'm chasing him around the pond after one of his little pranks, but I'd never really go through with it. I heard he was in the camps and only a true heartless bitch could willingly hurt someone that's been through that.   
And since I can't even think about truly hurting him, no matter how angry I get at him, then I guess I must not be a heartless bitch after all. After all that's happened, how could I survive without friends? I need the others, as much as I hate to admit it.   
I also need patience, as much as I hate to admit that as well. Actually, I need a lot of it. I've never been very much of a patient person, prefering action to planning. And I can't _stand_ slow people! I hate slow people! They walk so slow when they're in front of you, and you have to take such small steps that cause you to nearly fall over! I've seriously considered kicking them in the ass. During the time I had a sprained ankle, I _still_ walked faster than they did, and my leg was in an air-cast! Stupid . . .   
At least Nosedive doesn't _walk_ slow, although he might wake up slow. Which isn't too bad, as long as he doesn't delay practice getting started. That's when I get angry, but then again, maybe that's why he's usually only a couple minutes late. He probably doesn't want to risk my wraith.   
After Wildwing was thrown into his coma, I finally realized how much I cared for Nosedive. He's like a little brother to me. Maybe that's why I'm so harsh on him and he decided I'm the one he plays pranks on. Despite the fact I might criticize him and put him down all the time, I really do care -- I just don't want to see him hurt.   
The same thing must have gone through Wildwing's mind when he pushed Nosedive out of the way of that semi. Nosedive's still a child, and for a child's life to end so early . . . It was simply unacceptable. Unforgivable.   
And Wildwing's death would have been the same. I never realized how much he meant to me either, until after he nearly died. Strange, isn't it? You never realize how much you care about a person until you loose them. I guess I was lucky.   
With Wildwing being so close to death, it was probably the first time I really thought about my relationships to the other ducks. I became a bit protective towards Nosedive while Wildwing couldn't be there to do the same. Now that I think about it, I've never seen Nosedive as being a weak person, very annoying at times, maybe, but never weak. But during those two weeks, Nosedive seemed so small and defenseless. Wildwing was the world to him, and without Wildwing. . . Without Wildwing, he saw no reason to go on. I realized it might be the same in reverse, but I found that out afterwards, when Wildwing admitted it to me during that conversation late at night.   
My friends mean everything to me in this strange world. And if we ever get back to Puckworld, it'll probably be the same. We might live in the same house, even, since we've lived together for nearly a year now and we're even closer now than at the beginning. Hell, do you know how convenient it is to have your best friend living only a few doors down? Pretty damn convenient, especially when you need to talk to something. We work and live in harmony, I guess. And oh geez, I'm starting to sound like Grin. Heh, figures -- we've lived together in one base for long enough. Why shouldn't I start sounding a bit like him?   
I'm not alone anymore. I no longer fight for myself -- I fight for them. They are the reason I get up every morning, the reason why I can go on. I laugh when they laugh, I cry when they cry. . . We do so many things together, things I had never done before. They're my family. My siblings. That's why I fight. That's why I win. And that why I'll never give into Draguanus and his henchmen.   
This is the first time in my life I've been truly happy. I have too much to loose if I fail.   


Nosedive and Wildwing were laying side-by-side, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought.   
"Wildwing?" The younger brother finally broke the silence and the elder one turned his head to regard him.   
"Yeah?" Wildwing replied, blinking softly. "What is it, baby bro'?"   
"Remember the time when I was ten and the slide broke when I was going down it?" Nosedive asked, still looking to the ceiling.   
"Yeah. . . Scared the shit out of me." Wildwing stated, smiling weakly.   
"You freaked out completely."   
"Did not."   
"Did so. You screamed like someone just ran over your privates." Nosedive laughed and Wildwing flushed brightly.   
"Did not!"   
"You did," Nosedive nodded, trying to hide his wide grin and failing, "I know you did, 'cause I remember laughing my ass off at you so badly that I cried."   
"I did *NOT* sound like I got my privates run over!" Wildwing stated again, just as Duke walked into the room.   
Hearing Wildwing's last statement, Duke raised an eyebrow.   
"Sounds like I missed an interesting conversation," The gray duck stated and Wildwing turned even redder.   
Nosedive took one look at his older brother and burst into hysterically laughter, laughing so hard he fell off the bed.   
Duke sniggered as Nosedive moaned, sat up, and rubbed the back of his head, Wildwing still flushing too brightly to snicker along with him.   
"You'll have to tell me that story sometime, kid," Duke commented, earning another bright flush from Wildwing just as it was starting to subside.   
"Sure, I'll tell you all about it!" Nosedive piped back, forgetting about his aching head, grinning widely.   
Wildwing sat up to regard them better and crossed his arms, frowning slightly.   
"And _I'll_ start scheduling practices at four in the morning!" Wildwing stated, and both Nosedive and Duke paled.   
"Errr. . . Maybe some things are better kept as secrets." Duke added and Nosedive nodded vigorously in agreement.   
"Y-Yeah, some things are best kept as secrets."   
"Glad you both agree," Wildwing smirked and laid back down, closing his eyes as he rested his hands behind his head. "So, why are you here, anyways?"   
"Tanya sent me," Duke replied, hiding a grin. "She said you'll be free to go as you please tomorrow-"   
"FINALLY!" Wildwing sighed in relief, opening his eyes and turning his head to grin at Duke as Nosedive cheered.   
"-except you won't be able to skate on the ice, fight, or drive for another two weeks," Duke finished and Wildwing groaned, causing Duke's face to shine with amusement.   
"Aw man! So what is 'Wing supposed to do until then?? Play cribbage?!" Nosedive whined and Wildwing snickered, despite the fact he was a bit put out himself.   
"I'll just have to bother you, I guess," Wildwing grinned and Nosedive glared at him.   
"You wouldn't dare! That's supposed to be my job!" Nosedive mock-frowned and Wildwing snorted.   
"No, you're supposed to bother _Mallory_," Wildwing stated and Nosedive's frown turned into an evil grin as he looked heavenward.   
"Hey, you're right. . ." Duke and Wildwing both sniggered as Nosedive tried to do his best impression of innocence.   
"Wildwing, you should know better than to egg on your brother like that," Duke said with a laugh.   
"What?" There was a twinkle in Wildwing's eyes. "He keeps Mallory on her toes and makes me smile, as long as his pranks aren't too harsh."   
"Yeah, 'cause then Mal-Mal would kill me," Nosedive joked.   
"And you know how much funerals cost these days," Wildwing added.   
"_Hey!_" Mock-frowning, Nosedive put his hands on his hips.   
"What, baby bro'?" Wildwing smiled at his 'fuming' little brother.   
"That's mean!" Was the reply and Wildwing laughed lightly.   
"Your point being. . .?" He continued to smile.   
"Uhm, that it's mean?" Nosedive offered, causing Wildwing to roll his eyes.   
"So?"   
"What do you mean, 'so?' It's mean!"   
"And I say once again. . . So?"   
"Duke, Wildwing's being mean to me again!" Nosedive sighed sadly, turning huge eyes onto the eldest mallard in the room.   
"That's nice," Duke stated absently, patting Nosedive on the head as he walked out.   
"Hey!" Nosedive protested, glaring at the gray mallard's back.   
Wildwing snickered and Nosedive threw a pillow at him.   


Dragaunus paced back and forth along the floor of his room, a small tendril of smoke blowing out of his nostrils. It had been weeks since there was any real development on Wildwing's condition in the newspapers. He hoped that this lack of news meant that the meddlesome mallard was dead. The conquest of Earth would be relatively easy without Wildwing to lead his band of rogues.   
And so he waited, waited to celebrate his future victory over the remaining Puckworlders. Even if it was true that Wildwing was dead, he would not be truly happy.   
All of his minions knew that _he_ wanted to be the one to kill Wildwing. _He_ wanted to be the one to break the mallard's neck. And _he_ wanted to be the one to kill the fool's little brother right in front of his eyes.   
But all that would become impossible if that stupid duck was dead.   
His musings were interrupted by the door to his bedchamber opening with a swish as Wraith walked gracefully into the room, despite his age and his need to use a cane. Putting a closed fist to his chest, Wraith bowed respectively.   
"My lord?" He spoke quietly and Dragaunus stopped his pacing to regard him with annoyance.   
"I told you, Wraith, that I was to only be bothered if you had more information!" He shouted to the older and weaker Saurian, smoke billowing from his nostrils as he snorted angrily.   
"I do, Lord Dragaunus." Wraith replied, no longer fazed by his master's unpredictable moods, having grown used to them.   
"Then it better be _good_ news!" Dragaunus glared, a small smirk on his face as Wraith finally shuddered in fear.   
"Both good, and bad, my lord." He replied once more, carefully planning how to best tell of what news he had discovered.   
"Bad news?" Draguanus growled and Wraith shivered softly.   
"Wildwing has survived his coma." The old Saurian whispered and Dragaunus eyes flashed in anger, making a start for Wraith.   
"But what! He has yet to fully recover his strength, and is still weak." The Saurian Overlord stopped to consider this bit of news.   
"What are you suggesting we do, Wraith?" Dragaunus asked, more curious than angry.   
Wraith relaxed, smiling innerly. He knew he had Dragaunus now.   
"If we could get him by himself, Wildwing would not be able to defend himself." He answered simply.   
The Overlord's ensuing grin of pure malice caused Wraith to shudder in terror.   


"Man, this isn't fair!" Nosedive whined, pinned by his brother to the floor as the others watched, all of them laughing at his misfortune.   
"Not fair? You were the one that tried to tackle _me_," Wildwing replied, smiling as his younger brother glared up at him.   
"But you're still supposed to be weak! I should still be able to win!" Nosedive frowned, annoyed that his window of opportunity had closed a few days back.   
"Not my fault I recover fast," Wildwing stated cheerfully with a shrug, ruffling his brother's hair before standing up.   
Nosedive pouted for a minute before he stood up and jumped at Wildwing, wrapping his arms around Wildwing's waist in an effort to knock him over again. Wildwing just merely glanced down at his younger brother, raising an eyebrow as he watched Nosedive strain to push him over to no avail. He smirked down at his little brother, patting the boy on his head and earning a glare from Nosedive.   
"C'mon, fall over already! Aren't you still tired??" Nosedive demanded.   
"I'm still a little tired, but either way, I have fifty pounds on you," Wildwing laughed, putting an arm around his brother's shoulders. "Sorry, but you're back to being the baby in the family again."   
"Sooooo _not_ fair." Nosedive sighed, giving up on trying to knock his brother over, resting his head on Wildwing's chest instead.   
*Snap!* There was a blinding light that blinded the two brothers. When the temporary blindness faded, they blinked to an impishly smiling Mallory and the camera she was holding in her hand. A bout of laughter from the others ensued.   
"That's one for the photo album!" She stated, grinning as Nosedive glared at her.   
"I'm tempted to chase you out of the room, Mal-Mal, but I think I'll just stay here and cuddle with my bro'. He's comfy." Nosedive stated, causing his brother to flush a somewhat dark hue of scarlet as Nosedive pressed into him.   
"Aw, that's just too cute!" Mallory snapped another picture and Duke smirked.   
"It's your first day out of bed and you're already blushing!" Duke grinned, and Wildwing only flushed more.   
"You know, you're cute when you blush," Tanya smiled mischeviously as Wildwing's blush took on an even darker color of red.   
"Why do you think I'm taking pictures?" Mallory asked, winking back at Tanya.   
"Blackmail?" Nosedive piped up, and Duke snorted.   
"You really don't want to give her ideas, kid. She might use them." Duke stated and Mallory tried her best to look innocent.   
"She can go ahead and try to blackmail me with this pictures, but I don't exactly mind them being shown to everyone," Nosedive replied, and Wildwing smiled softly.   
"I don't mind, either."   
"Well, damnit," Mallory frowned and the rest of the ducks burst out into laughter.   
"He would mind, however, if you took a picture of him after he woke up in the morning," Nosedive grinned, and Wildwing blushed again.   
"Is this 'Tease the Leader Day' or something?" Wildwing asked, looking suspiciously to the other ducks.   
"Basically," Duke answered, resting his cheek on his hand, sipping his coffee with an amused smile on his face.   
"Nosedive, you're going to have to let go of me, you know that, right?" Wildwing asked, and Nosedive blinked up at him innocently.   
"And why is that?"   
"Because I'm starving and I'm afraid I'll mistaken you for cereal and I'll try to eat you for breakfast," Wildwing joked and Nosedive eeped before letting go.   
"That's a pretty good reason," The younger brother commented and Wildwing snickered as he walked by him, ruffling Nosedive's hair on his way to the cubboards.   
"Dude, watch the hair!" Nosedive complained, although he was still grinning.   
"So, what do we have planned for today?" Wildwing asked, pulling out some cereal.   
"Nothing, nothing, and more nothing. Oh, and then a practice, which you sit out on because Tanya says you wouldn't have regained your balance yet." Nosedive laughed, and Wildwing rolled his eyes.   
"Tanya threatened to lock Phil in the closet if he tried anything. And I said I'd help her." Mallory added, winking.   
"He agreed that maybe the best thing would be to let you rest some more," Tanya stated, and Wildwing chuckled.   
Grin walked in then and there was a chorus of greeting from the other ducks. Wildwing, his head now in the fridge, waved to Grin and Grin smiled back.   
"It is good to see you on your feet, again," He commented and Wildwing looked back to him, grinning.   
"And believe me, it's great to be on my feet again!" Wildwing replied with a laugh.   
"But remember, you _must_ take it easy until you've fully recovered. Which means no fighting, no skating, and no rough-housing!" Tanya reminded him, giving him a look that clearly stated 'do as I say or it's another week of bed for you.'   
"But you didn't object when I wrestled with him. . ." Nosedive objected and a sneaky smile spread across Tanya's face.   
"I don't consider that strenuous activity."   
"HEY!"   
Wildwing snorted, nearly choking on the glass of milk he had just poured for himself and everyone looked to him in shock. He eventually stopped coughing and looked around at the others, blushing faintly as he realized they were all watching him with worry.   
"I'm okay, I'm okay!" Wildwing reassured them, smiling weakly. "Just got caught by surprise, that's all."   
Nosedive sniggered.   
"You sure?" The teenager ducked the crumpled napkin that Wildwing threw at him.   
Wildwing smiled to his brother and his brother smiled back. It was good to be back on his feet again.   


"Wildwing, you know I can't let you operate heavy machinery! And that _includes_ the Migrator!" Wildwing opened his beak to object, but Tanya interrupted him before he even got to ask his question. "And that also includes the Duckcycles, the Aerowing, and other sort of vehicle!"   
Wildwing, his question already answered, closed his beak, sighing with a frown.   
"But then how am I supposed to get some new stuff for our room?" Wildwing asked, refering to the room that he and Nosedive shared, and Tanya blinked in surprise.   
"Why do you want to get some new stuff for your room? I thought you said Nosedive couldn't get anything else. . ." Tanya stated, trailing off.   
"Yeah, well, that was before I stayed in there for two weeks. It could use a little more. . . I don't know, it just needs _something!_" Wildwing replied, looking a little guilty. "I didn't realize how plain it looked until I stayed in there for two weeks."   
Nosedive's eyes lit up and he practically bounced over to Wildwing, earning looks of shock from the other two ducks in the docking bay.   
"Does this mean I can get a few new posters for our room??"   
Wildwing hid his smile, instead pretending to give off a shuddering sigh.   
"Yes, Nosedive, that means you can get some more posters to paster over all our walls," Wildwing failed to hide his smile as Nosedive cheered. "However, I'm also getting some stuff that I want for our room, so you can't have all the space."   
"Aw man. . ." Nosedive pouted and Wildwing pat his shoulder.   
"Don't worry, I won't take up all the space," Wildwing reassured him and Nosedive grinned slightly.   
"You said you need a ride?" Nosedive quickly put his hands up in defense at the look Wildwing gave him. "Hey, hey, hey, don't look at me like that! I promise I'll go the speed limit!"   
Wildwing gave him a skeptical look and Nosedive frowned slightly, hurt.   
"Wildwing, you know I wouldn't drive fast after what happened! I don't want to hit anybody like they. . . t-they-" Nosedive let out a small cry of surprise as Wildwing pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back tenderly.   
"Shh, I believe you, baby bro'. I believe you." Wildwing whispered soothingly and Nosedive smiled weakly, pressing closer as he wrapped his arms around Wildwing's waist.   
"I'm glad," Nosedive replied at length, smiling a bit wider. "You know I wouldn't chance you getting hurt again. Once was enough."   
Wildwing nodded in agreement and a few tense minuted passed in silence before Tanya spoke up.   
"You two better go, the mall closes in a few hours, and you know Nosedive will want to spend a few of them in the comic shop with Thrash and Mookie," Tanya smiled weakly and both brothers turned to look at her in surprise.   
"She's right, baby bro', we'd better go before it's too late," Wildwing stated, gently pulling away from the hug and wrapping an arm around Nosedive's shoulders. "So let's get moving."   
"There's just one problem with that, bro'," Nosedive commented, earning a curious and confused glance from Wildwing.   
"And that is?" Wildwing raised an eyebrow.   
"You got the keys." Nosedive stated.   
"Oh."   
Tanya couldn't help but roll her eyes.   
  
  
"Well, here we are!" Nosedive exclaimed, grinning at his brother as he shut off the engine. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"   
"We didn't get a ticket," WIldwing pointed out, after long thought. "And we're still alive. So, I guess."   
"You _guess_?" Nosedive cried, looking offended, as Wildwing snickered.   
"Yep, I guess," Wildwing repeated and Nosedive frowned.   
"Man, you suck!" His frown worsened as Wildwing burst out into laughter.   
"Aw, I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to make you pout," Wildwing teased, still chuckling, as he unbuckled his seatbelt.   
"I am not pouting!" Nosedive replied in an obvious pout.   
"And what do you call that?" Wildwing asked, pointing to Nosedive face.   
"An expression of annoyance," Nosedive stated.   
"A _pouting_ expression of annoyance," Wildwing added.   
"Is not!" Nosedive cried in denial.   
Wildwing didn't reply, only smirking as he got out of the car. Nosedive didn't realize that Wildwing had gone until he looked at the empty sit beside him. Frowning, the boy quickly put the car keys in his pocket and trotted after Wildwing, quickly catching up.   
"So, where are we going first?" Nosedive asked as he caught up to his brother.   
"Well, I was thinking maybe someplace to eat," Wildwing admitted, smiling guiltily. "I was in such a hurry to leave the house, I forgot about lunch!"   
Nosedive failed to contain his snicker.   
"You're joking, right?" He gave Wildwing a skeptical look. "You _never_ forget those sort of things!"   
"Well, I did today," Wildwing stated with a blush. "Try and not make a big deal out of it, okay?"   
"Aw, you're no fun!" Nosedive complained, and Wildwing grinned softly. "Never said I was, now c'mon, let's go get some pizza."   


"So kid, you figure out yet what's wrong with the Mask?" Duke walked into Tanya's lab, ignoring the newly blackened section from her last experiment got awry.   
"I.. I can't, there's nothing wrong with the circuitry or anything! I've checked it once, twice, three times and still nothing's shown up!" She shook her head, looking the Mask over and giving it a confused look.   
"You mean, after you fixed it from when it got slammed into the concrete," Duke pointed out and Tanya winced involuntarily, causing Duke to apologize. "Er, sorry."   
"Yes, after I fixed it. It's not that it's broken or anything. . . It's almost like it doesn't want to work." Tanya stated with a sigh.   
"Got any theories?" Duke leaned over the other side of the table Tanya was working on to get a better look at the artifact in her hands. "Do you have any idea why it won't work?"   
"None, and that's what irks me! This should be a simple thing to fix, I feel, but I have no idea why it won't work! It can only do the most basic of its functions." She sighed once again, and adjusted her glasses.   
"Is it low on energy or something?" Duke took his gaze away from the mask and glanced up at Tanya, but she shook her head again.   
"Although it lost a great deal of energy when Wildwing was hit with the truck, it still has more than enough to perform its usual functions," Tanya replied, a frown of concentration on her face.   
"Woah, woah, woah, Tanya, did you just say it lost a great deal of energy when Wildwing got hit?" Duke spoke his realization and Tanya blinked, before her eyes widened.   
"You mean, do you think that it-"   
"-might have used that energy to somehow create a shield of some sort to protect Wildwing? Hell yeah." He nodded firmly.   
"But then why was the Mask damaged by the fall?" Tanya frown returned and the only thing Duke could do was shrug. "Oh!"   
Tanya's eyes lit up and Duke grinned innerly. She obviously had a theory. Then she did something that Duke completely unexpected.   
Hugging him quickly, Tanya laughed, "That's it, thank you, Duke!"   
"Uhm, erm, uh, you're welcome?" Duke could barely hide his blush, even with his dark feathers. "What exactly did I do, anyways?"   
She was too busy launching into an explaination to answer.   
"Maybe it put up the shield too quickly and somehow that damaged the circuitry!" Her eyes practically sparkled at the possibility of the Mask serving as more than just a sensory artifact. "It could be possible, since it was never used in such a way before, or in at least, a really long time!"   
"How does that work?" Duke blinked, confused. "Wouldn't that not matter?"   
"Oh, but it does!" Tanya grinned, eyes dancing. "Take a harddrive on a computer for instance."   
"Okay. . ." Duke replied slowly, getting more confused by the second. "What about it?"   
"It's got to spin up when it's first turned on, right?" Tanya paced around, suddenly filled with a bounty of energy.   
"Yeah, so?"   
"So the Mask might have had to do the same thing for the shield! And what happens when a harddrive has to spin up to fast?" Tanya asked, and Duke blinked, before a lightbulb came on, his eyes widening.   
"If it spins up too fast, then it can get damaged!" Duke exclaimed, then his jaw-dropped at the realization. "You think that the same thing might-"   
"-Have happened to the mask? It's quite possible!" Suddenly she looked put out and she frowned. "However, I replaced all the circuit boards after the fall, and yet it still doesn't work as it should."   
"So what does that mean?" Duke asked, blinking once again.   
"Perhaps it's now in some different mode than we've seen it in before, like perhaps a defense mode of sorts. Or maybe I didn't fix it quite right -- which could be possible. Or the Omnitool could be reading the power-level wrong." Tanya sighed and shook her head once more. "I have no idea what it could mean!"   
"Or maybe there's more to the mask than we think and could be responding to something outside. . ." Duke offered, and Tanya nodded.   
"At this point, we can't even confirm that. All we can do is keep on running tests until some definite theory begins to emerge." Duke nodded in turn to her statement, and they both sighed, a new mystery to replace the old.   
They had gotten farther than they had been, only to find out they had more of a distance to cover than they had at first thought.   
It was then that Drake One went off.   


"C'mon Wildwing, why can't I have that poster of Britney Spears on my--our-- wall??" Nosedive sighed, pouting again, but this time on purpose.   
"Because you hate her guts, remember?" Wildwing replied evenly, looking through a rack of posters   
"Oh yeah," Nosedive stared up at a rack of music above him with a knowing smile on his face as Wildwing snorted.   
"You're making this hard on purpose, aren't you?" Wildwing asked, not even trying to hide his amused smile.   
"Yep," Nosedive replied with a grin.   
Having had their fill of pizza, the two mallards had journeyed over to the record store after Nosedive begged, whining that he hadn't had any new cds for a while. Wildwing, still not fully recovered from his injuries (or so was his excuse to himself), caved in and the record store had become their first stop.   
"Oh look, a poster of us," Wildwing stared, bemused, at the poster his had turned to.   
"Yeah, imagine that; at least it's a nice picture," Nosedive laughed, looking at the poster that showed them all posing in their hockey gear. "I mean, just think if it was one of those other photo shoots, like the one with the sumo wrestler costumes?"   
"God, don't remind me!" Wildwing shuddered, horrified at the memory. Nosedive only laughed again, and then his eyes lit up mischievously as he noticed something.   
"Look, Wildwing, one of those Christmas beanie babies of you! You know, the ones that go 'quack, quack, quack' when you slam them against the wall!" Nosedive rushed over and picked the offending toy up. "See?? We should buy it and put it in our room!"   
Wildwing merely crossed his arms over his chest, fixing Nosedive with the look he gave to Phil whenever he tried to make them do a photoshoot.   
Nosedive looked at him innocently, grinning widely.   
"Okay, okay, I won't put it up in our room, but at least can I have it as a voodoo doll?" He asked, although he already knew the answer.   
Getting a sudden idea, Wildwing quickly walked over to him and began to search the shelves with purpose. This earned a confused look from Nosedive.   
"'Wing. . .?" Nosedive blinked to his older brother.   
"Please tell me they have one for Phil!" Wildwing prayed, and Nosedive smothered a laugh, before looking on the back of the tag attached to the toy in his hand.   
"I'm 'fraid they don't have one, 'Wing," Nosedive mock-groaned, and Wildwing cursed softly under his breath.   
"Damn!" Nosedive barely smothered his laugh.   
"Although that's _very_ wishful thinking, big bro'. . . If only!" Nosedive sighed, replacing the out-of-proportion replica of Wildwing back in its spot on the shelf.   
"Yes, if only!" Wildwing agreed with a sigh of his own.   
They continued to look through the shop, eventually deciding on a few posters and a cd each, before they went to the counter to pay for their items.   


"Mallory, what's going on?!" Duke exclaimed, Tanya and Grin right behind him as he rushed into the main room.   
"Drake One's detected teleportation energy!" Mallory replied, Grin looking over her shoulder.   
"Where?" Tanya asked quickly, worry evident in her voice, thinking how badly the attack was timed, with Wildwing and Nosedive out on their own.   
"The Anaheim Mall!" Mallory replied, frowning.   
Grin nearly fell off Tanya as she can to a startled halt.   
"The Anaheim Mall?! Wildwing and Nosedive went their to buy some things!" Tanya exclaimed, eyes wide in realization. "Dragaunus must be after Wildwing!"   
"Then we must aid them!" Grin stated and he was the first to rush towards the docking bay, the others quickly following him.   


"Okay, we're splitting up so you can go to your comic book store and I can go look for some new bookshelves, am I right?" Wildwing asked, placing the spoils they had already gotten from that day's shopping in the trunk.   
Nosedive nodded and grinned, replying, "Basically, although you'll have to come get me, and we'll have to have the bookselves delivered."   
"Because we both know you won't come to get me," Wildwing stated with a knowing smile and Nosedive grinned cheekily to him.   
"Basically!" Nosedive grinned and waved to Wildwing as he ran off towards the comic book store. "Bye, see you in a bit!"   
Wildwing shook his head, and watched Nosedive as he started towards the furniture store and was so absorbed in watching his brother's antics that he failed to notice the Saurian standing in front of him until he bumped into Dragaunus himself.   


Nosedive had swung open the door to the comic book shop and greeted Thrash and Mookie when he heard a scream of pain escape from his brother's throat.   
"WILDWING!" Nosedive shouted, running back out the door, only getting a few steps in before he stopped in shock. "Wildwing, no!"   
All four Saurians had surrounded the duck, and were beating on his mercilessly, Wildwing doing his best to defend himself against them. But he was failing, and failing horribly, his responses weak and sluggish because he was not yet fully recovered. His armor softened many of the blows that hit him, but it couldn't save him when Dragaunus backfisted him across the face, sending him flying. He stayed where he landed, groaning softly, having been knocked senseless.   
The Saurians weren't bothering with the usual taunts, they were straight to business. Their goal was to either kidnap or capture Wildwing, and both goals were now quite within the Saurians' collective reach. However, Nosedive wasn't going to let his brother be taken without a fight.   
"Wildwing, I'm coming, Wildwing!" Nosedive found his feet again as panic rose in his chest and he transformed into his armor mid-run, pulling out both of his puckblasters and firing at them. "Leave them the hell alone, you creeps! I swear, if you kill him, you'll never see the light of day again!"   
Dragaunus let out a harsh, terrible laugh that cause Nosedive to nearly stumble and fall, but the boy kept on running. He had to get to Wildwing, he had to get to Wildwing! He just had to! If something happened to Wildwing. . . No, no, he couldn't think about that! Not again, it wasn't happening again! It couldn't be!   
"You BASTARD!" Nosedive let out a scream of rage as Dragaunus kicked Wildwing in the side and sent him flying into a mailbox. "Leave him the hell alone!"   
Dragaunus merely laughed as the pucks bounced harmlessly off his armor, kicking Wildwing again so he laid on his back. He then stomped down on Wildwing's stomach, knocking all the air out of the defenseless Puckworlder and causing Nosedive to become even more enraged as Wildwing gasped for breath. No one hurt his brother like that, no one!   
"Now did I say I was going to kill your brother?" Dragaunus called to the boy, slowly grinding his foot into Wildwing's stomach, the white duck too weak to fight back or to even raise an arm against him. "You mistaken my intentions. I don't intend to kill him; at least, not at first!"   
"I don't care what you want to do with my brother, you just leave them before I rip out your heart and feed it to you!" Nosedive barely registered what he was saying, and if he had been in the right mind, he would've been shocked at his own words.   
"Well, well, well; it seems that the duckling has guts!" Dragaunus taunted and the other Saurians cackled, surrounding their leader in a protective triangle. "Too bad guts won't save your pathetic little brother from me!"   
"You're the one that should be worrying!" Nosedive shouted back, knocking Chameleon unconscious with a puck to the forehead.   
"Oh really? I think not. You see. . ." He took his foot off of Wildwing's stomach and placed it on the mallard's throat instead, grinning maliciously as Nosedive came to a sudden halt, his eyes wide and frightened. "I hold your brother's life in the palm of my hand. All I have to do is bring down my foot and he dies."   
"No!" Nosedive shook his head wildly, his courage replaced by a deep fear for his brother's safety. "Don't hurt him, I'll do anything you want!"   
"Then stand there," Dragaunus laughed, programming his teleporter. "Stand there, drop your weapons, and do nothing, else I change my mind and kill your beloved Wildwing!"   
"N-No, Wildwing!" Nosedive, shuddering softly, did as he was told, his puckblasters falling noisily to the concrete before he realized what Dragaunus was planning. "Don't!"   
"Too late, little boy, he's mine!" Dragaunus laughed, his form and Wildwing's becoming insubstantial. "And you can do nothing to save him!"   
The other Saurians began to disappear as well, Siege holding up an unconscious Chameleon as Nosedive rushed forward, diving for his brother's disappearing form.   
But he was too late, Wildwing disappearing completely from view just as Nosedive fell onto the spot he had been until but a moment before. The other Saurians laughed and disappeared as Nosedive screamed.   
"WILDWING!" He got up onto his knees, looking around, eyes wide in horror. "Wildwing, Wildwing! God, no! This can't be happening again! Please, no! NO! WILDWING!!"   
Nosedive began to sob, ignoring the crowd that began to peak out of the doors of the shops, his eyes squeezed tight with tears. He had to catch himself with his hands to save himself from falling onto the pavement beak first, but he cared not.   
His brother was gone; gone once more! And like the time before this, he was unable to save him. 

*End of Chapter 3*   
  
Author's end-note: Sorry this took so long to get out, it took a while to write! I'll finish editting this one when I get the time, since SATs are this weekend and I'm pressed for time. Send me e-mails, I love them! icelightning@pcweenie.com And please, draw me pictures for inspiration and I'll be ever worshipful of you! Thank you! Please read and review! 


	4. Pain and Premonitions

The Aftermath   


By Icelightning   


Chapter 4: Pain and Premonitions   


Author's note: Wow, this is probably the fastest I've ever started a chapter up after I've ended another. Two days -- that's gotta be a record (for me, anyways). Maybe it's because I feel inspired, or that I actually know a bit of what I want to do next. Who knows. Either way, I'm bent on actually finishing a multi-chaptered fanfic! (Mainly because I actually have this more structured than the others -- as in, I have more of an idea what I want to do and how I want it to sound.) Thanks for all the pretty reviews, they make me smile! And bloody, I'll add other author notes later; I want to start up my fanfic before the urge to write leaves me! Sorry about the grammar and spelling.. I didn't bother to check over it very much, although I did use the italics where I wanted them.. Thought I should warn you before hand. 

Author's second note: Everyone needs to go and read Candygirl's fanfic, Surreal-Life Story, and Orenda's fanfic, Choices! (And their other ones, too..) You don't know what you're missing! ^^; And everyone already knows to read Kaeera's, Angelfire's, Prince Tyler Briefs's, PapillonStar's, and Nightbloom's, I do hope. And Dolphy's got awesome art! =P And if I'm forgetting someone, throttle me in an e-mail at icelightning@pcweenie.com . And it took me the longest time to get this chapter out. Another record! Rofl. And I'd say read Eiflin's, but the girl doesn't have any. =P But Orenda just said she did, so now I'm bloody confused. I need to catch up on all my ff.net reading.. Er.. Before I go on another tangent, onto the fanfic! =P   


Nosedive's taken on so many responsibilities being a Mighty Duck, and being only the teenager he is, I've always wondered how he was able to manage them all. I mean, it's not everyday that a teen fights for his life as well as the lives and safety of those that he cares about, is it? Where did he get the strength to go on smiling as the lasers fly and laugh off a near-death experience with a corny joke? What gives him the strength to go on?   
During the time Wildwing was in a coma and the time Wildwing was a prisoner of Dragaunus, I realized exactly where that strength of his came from. Nosedive got his strength from his brother's presence, his brother's smile, his brother's touch. He wanted to make Wildwing proud and wanted to protect his brother like Wildwing had protected him for so many years. Nosedive made sure that Wildwing knew that he was ready to protect Wildwing when the time came. At first, his antics nearly got him killed, but Wildwing's disapproval quickly made him realize that he had to work with the team in order to become part of it.   
And so he did, but not only did he become a part of the team, he became an asset as well. More than once his quick thinking have been the difference between us keeping or loosing our lives. Nosedive is now willing to give up everything to protect earth; everything except his brother.   
Wildwing matters more to Nosedive than anything else in all creation. I could see it in the way he wouldn't leave Wildwing's side after the accident and how he seemed dead after Wildwing was kidnapped. It's impossible to describe the horror I felt as I watched Nosedive waste away without his brother to comfort him. His laughter died instantly, and it has continued to do so whenever there was even a possibility that he might lose Wildwing. He considers himself to be nothing without Wildwing, and I can only pray that isn't so. I've come to care for him as one would a younger brother, a strange thing coming from a duck who spends all her free time tinkering with equipment. Maybe that's why I was so worried about him during those trying times; I spent all my time off by myself and yet he still got to me. I can understand why his brother is so overprotective of him. You don't meet a teenager like Nosedive everyday.   
Girls fawn over him, but they're only in love with a part of him; they never seem to notice how strong he is and how he is so much more than good looks and laughs. They don't see his unfailing courage or his never-ending optimism or his ability to climb over any obstacle. Who knows, maybe they don't care, but that's not the point. The point is that there's so much more to him than they'll ever see.   
And there's Wildwing; the voice of reason that calms his brother's wild antics (and keeps him alive whenever Mallory wants his throat). He's so different from Nosedive and yet so much the same. Wildwing, too, depends on his brother's existence in order to keep him going in life. Everything he's ever done, every order he's ever given, and every smile he's ever offered stem directly for his love for Nosedive. If something were to happen to Nosedive, Wildwing would fade away just as the reverse is true.   
I have to admit that I've gotten rather fond of Wildwing too. In fact, I've gotten rather fond of everybody. Mallory's like a sister to me. Nosedive's the little brother. Grin's the person you can always go to when you're in a sore need for reassurance. And Duke and Wildwing. . . Perhaps something more than the rest?   
After all we've been through, I never really realized how young Nosedive was -- in both mind and body. He's come through for us so many times it's hard to forget that he's only a teenager, a child. Nosedive has had the same responsibilities as the rest of the team members, and his maturity level during battles distorts the facts.   
Despite everything, Nosedive's still a duckling, as much as he's come through for us. And children have different needs than adults. Where Wildwing might not need constant reassurance that he's living up to his potential and that he's doing the best he can, Nosedive does. He's at the stage in life where everything changes, in both body and mind. What he needs most is a group of people he can rely on for constant reassurance and love. At least, that's what the books say. And the heavens know that's how it was for me.   
When one's at the stage of being both adult and child, they need help in making the transition. The chemical inbalances in their bodies throw their emotions out of wack, and it becomes harder and harder to be happy as their change progresses. Most teenagers, surrounded by family and friends, make it through without noticing the difference. But Nosedive was in the camps through part of this transformation. I can only guess how badly they could have affected his transformation; all the more reason why we need to never forget how young he really is.   
We were painfully reminded of this fact when Wildwing was hit by the truck. Nosedive barely survived the experience, and that was with Wildwing in a coma, and then there was the time where Wildwing got kidnapped. . . What would have happened to Nosedive if Wildwing had _died_? It would literally destroy him.   
And it would destroy the team. Without Wildwing, we're lost. And if we're lost, then so is Puckworld. We might have saved Puckworld from the Saurians once, but if we're gone then Dragaunus will go back and attack our world while it's rebuilding. It wouldn't stand a chance, just like it nearly didn't before. Only this time there would be no Mask of Drake DuCaine to save our people in their time of need.   
The fate of two universes are on our shoulders. If we lose, so do they. If we die, so do billions upon billions die after us. No pressure, right?   
I only wish that were true, because I can't stand being under pressure. The 'what-ifs' drive me crazy when I'm the one that everyone depends on. What if I can't fix it on time? What if I can't get there in time? What if something malfunctions? What if it's a trap? What if. . . everyone's already dead?   
At times, I wonder if thoughts like that race through Wildwing's head whenever we rush into battle. I know he worries, and that he worries an awful lot, but are his worries as strong as mine? He does, after all, have a little brother on the team that he's sworn to himself to protect. But he seems so calm during battles; is it because of the mask?   
And speaking of the mask, I still don't understand to this day why the mask malfunctioned even after I fixed it. It's still malfunctioning, in fact. Somehow, I can't help but feel that maybe, just maybe, it's "malfunctioning" for a reason. It's been damaged before, and worse in most cases, oddly enough, yet it still won't work. Why? Is there something we don't know about the mask? That could very well be it, since we don't exactly have the instruction manual.   
But everything about the mask is alright. The only thing that's different is that it has lost energy. Did it really create a shield around Wildwing that saved his life? And if not, how else could he have lived?   
Someday, somehow, we must figure out this mystery. We must figure it out soon. Without the mask, we're finished.   
And I'm not going to let the others die like this. We're going to die of old age, back on Puckworld, surrounded by friends and family. That is my pledge to myself, and I'm going to keep it.   


The second the others arrived, they realized that they were far too late. The humans that had been hiding in the shops had already begun to peek out the doors and through the windows, wondering if the lizard-men were gone yet.   
Duke paled and struggled to get off his seatbelt, his gaze locked on Nosedive's shaking form. The Saurians had been after Wildwing! And Wildwing had been unable to defend himself, only just starting to recover. . . But now the Saurians had him and they had no way to find them, with the Mask malfunctioning.   
Mallory slammed her hand on the door release of the Migrator, and all four ducks piled out, rushing to Nosedive's side. Duke was the first there, and he kneeled beside Nosedive, rubbing the teenager's back.   
"They t-took him! T-They _took_ him!" Nosedive exclaimed, and he suddenly clung to Duke, surprising the ex-thief.   
"We'll get him back, kid, don't worry. . ." the gray mallard sighed after a moment's passing, before tentatively bringing his arms around the boy's shoulders in a cautious but firm hug.   
"T-They took him!" as Nosedive's frantic words dissolve into sobs, Duke could only think of one thing.   
He wasn't supposed to be the one to comfort Nosedive like he was at that moment, and the boy should have not needed to be in his arms. Nosedive should have been in Wildwing's arms and his brother was the one whom Nosedive turned for comfort. Wildwing should have been there. However, he was not.   
And so Duke was left to pick up the pieces.   
Grin sighed, watching Duke attempt to comfort Nosedive. Hating the feeling of helplessness that was rising in his chest, he slowly approached them. Kneeling down beside them, he rubbed Nosedive's back with his characteristic gentleness that his looks did not suggest.   
"Little friend," he began, whispering softly to the teen. "Do not loose hope yet. We will get him back."   
Nosedive suddenly quieted down enough to blink back tears, as he looked up to Grin, barely believing what he had heard.   
"Y-You really think so?" Nosedive asked, his voice a sob-filled whisper, although it was tinted with a bit of hope. "Do . . . Do you really t-think we can save him?"   
"Yes," was all Grin offered as a reply, but with the amount of certainty the single word belied, it was more than enough. "I will not stop until you and your brother are reunited, and neither will the others."   
Duke saw his chance, the opening Grin had specifically prepared for him, and jumped into it without a second's hesitation.   
"He's right, Nosedive. We're not going to let the Saurians keep your brother! We'll have him free before Dragaunus knows what hit him!"   
For their efforts, the weakest of smiles crossed Nosedive's face. He could recognize the farcade for what it was, but at the same time . . . It was comforting. The knowledge that he had such loyal friends washed a feeling of calm over him, and he felt himself breath easier. They would help him get Wildwing back.   
Nosedive was not alone. And as long as he was a member of the Mighty Ducks, he never would be.   


He woke up with a sudden shock of pain, letting out an involuntary cry of surprise as he suddenly regained consciousness. The mallard tried his best to struggle to his feet, but he found his ankles and wrists bound tightly. And wherever he was, he couldn't see more than two feet in front of him before all faded into eternal blackness.   
Eventually he was able to painfully struggle into a sort of kneeling position, but it didn't help him to see what was around him any better. His cell, or the cell he assumed he was in, was still just as dark as it was before. So he relied on his other senses.   
Immediately, he noticed the foul stench of dried blood and vomit in the air, making him gag and wonder why he didn't notice it before. He could hear some liquid continously dripped onto the cold, metallic floor nearby, and he prayed it was only water. Other than that, it was completely silent.   
After taking an assessment of his surroundings, he began to pinpoint the various spots of pain on his aching body. His ankles and wrists, bound too tightly, throbbed with pain and he didn't bother to try and wiggle free from whatever was binding them together. His stomach felt bruised and battered, as did his back and sides. Bruised ribs, too, in the least if he was lucky. Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, he was overtaken by a coughing fit and tasted blood on his tongue.   
He had internal bleeding as well. Great.   
Letting out a sigh, he did his best to recall what had happened to him. Faintly, he remembered the Saurians jumping him at the mall and Nosedive screaming out his name in fear. Everything was blurry after that.   
So that answered where he was and who had kidnapped him. Now all he had to figure out was a way to get out of there. Wildwing sat up straight, straining to think up any means of escape.   
As he leaned back, his head touched against something cold and fleshy. He jerked forward and turned quickly, nearly loosing his balance as he tried to distinguish what he had felt. It took him a minute to recognize what it was, but when he did he unconsciously shouted out in horror.   
A half-decayed skull of a fellow Puckworlder greeted his eyes, and he stared, unable to take his gaze away from the horrible sight. It was a young male, about Nosedive's age but perhaps a bit older, and Wildwing forced back down what remained from his breakfast he had yesterday, or what he assumed to be yesterday. Even though the eyes were almost completely decayed, he could still detect the fear in them that had plagued the boy up to his final few moments before life had fled his body forever.   
The sound of claws clicking against the floor finally allowed Wildwing to tear his eyes away from the corpse as he looked into the darkness towards his captor. Even if he couldn't see him, Wildwing knew what his smile of malice would look like. Wildwing mustered up his courage and growled under his breath.   
Dragaunus chuckled at the sound, and Wildwing squinted his eyes as lights flooded the cell. As Wildwing predicted, Dragaunus had an evil, amused smile on his face, as he grabbed the handle bars of the cell, smirking at Wildwing. Obviously, he found it amusing to let the corpses of his victims lay rotting while still chained to the walls.   
"I do hope you like the decorations I've put up for you. It gives your cell more of a homely feel, don't you think?" Dragaunus chuckled under his breath, and Wildwing glared at him after his eyes adjusted to the bright light.   
"I think your corpse would look better hanging there, Dragaunus," Wildwing replied coldly and the Saurian let out a booming laugh.   
"Still brave and ready to pick a fight despite your wounds, I see," Dragaunus commented, returning Wildwing's glare with a more relaxed one of his own. "But the question is whether that will continue to be after I'm through torturing you."   
Wildwing's eyes showed no sign of surprise, fulling expecting that Dragaunus had planned to do that from the start. The knowledge that he had guessed right only redoubled his courage. Dimly, he noticed that the cell was mostly clean except for the blood splattered around the remains of the young Puckworlder.   
"Try your best shot!" Wildwing spat back, and the smirk on the Saurian's face only grew.   
"I assure you, Wildwing, I will, and then you shall be begging for mercy!" Dragaunus laughed, and Wildwing growled lightly.   
"I'll kill myself before I'd beg for mercy from a scumbag like you!" Dragaunus's eyes narrowed at the amount of hatred behind Wildwing's reply.   
"Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough," he stated smoothly, after taking a deep breath to contain his anger. "You WILL be screaming in pain and misery until you cannot take it anymore!"   
"I doubt it," Wildwing said with such conviction he even surprised himself.   
Dragaunus's patience came to an end, and he motioned to the droids behind him. Coming forward, they dragged Wildwing into a standing position, although he struggled against them, futilely trying to slip from their grasp in an effort to charge his Saurian captor. However, their grip held fast and he realized he couldn't break free, so he let his muscles relax and he stopped his struggles to save his strength. Chuckling softly, the Saurian turned and walked away, the robots dragging Wildwing between them to the appointed designation.   
Wildwing let out a small cry of surprise as the robots suddenly released him, and he fell to the ground. He quickly struggled into a kneeling position, glaring up at the smirking Dragaunus. If only he could get free . . .   
As he took in his new surroundings, Wildwing's eyes widened in surprise and horror. Dimly he noticed that the other Saurians weren't present, but the fact did little to comfort him. Obviously, Dragaunus was going to do more to him than keep him captive.   
He didn't know what each of the devices around him did, but he could tell that each were specifically made to inflict pain. Pain that his already abused body would only be able to take for so long . . . Wildwing didn't know the real reason Dragaunus planned on torturing him, but he half guessed it was for his own sadistic pleasures.   
A sudden movement from Dragaunus was the only warning the mallard got before some device was jabbed into his arm, sending hot, searing pain throughout his body. He fell onto his side with a cry of shock and pain, unable to even sit up anymore, and his body was overcome with temors. Desperately, he tried to sit up, but he only found that his body refused to obey him, unable to move of its own accord.   
Although, that didn't stop him from trying to break free as the droids untied his bonds and dragged him on top of a table. As much as he tried to move, his body continued to jerk, although not as violently, and he was fastened down onto the table with metal cuffs. All this occured as Dragaunus laughed, amused by his enemy's weakness.   
"That is only a taste of what's to come!" The dictator exclaimed, and Wildwing, upon regaining control over most of his body, glared death at him.   
"You'll never get away with this!" Wildwing threatened, and Dragaunus rolled his eyes.   
"Oh please, must captured heroes _always_ use that line??"   
Wildwing didn't reply, instead just continuing his glare.   
Dragaunus amused himself for a moment with the depth of hatred in Wildwing's eyes, before walking over to a console which held an easy, button interface that even a novice torturer could use. However, Dragaunus was not a novice. He smirked, looking from the console back up at his prisoner.   
"And now, we play," Dragaunus eyes gleamed cruelly as he pressed down on one of the buttons.   
His captive blinked in surprise, as the button did nothing and no new pain assaulted his senses. Was the machine broken? Was he actually going to luck out?   
It was then that Wildwing noticed a ray device of some sort charging up over him, the dull gray of the device quickly turning to a hideous blood red. Wildwing barely had time to let out a gasp of shock before the gathering energy shot out and slammed into his chest. Every nerve in his body was bombarded by a pain so intense that it blinded him and he lost contact with all of his other senses. He couldn't even hear himself scream, although he was screaming like he had never screamed before; all he could feel was pain.   
Wildwing's screams drowned out the sound of Dragaunus' laughter.   
  


Nosedive rolled over in his sleep, a small sob escaping his beak every few minutes. He had knocked off his covers in all the tossing and turning caused by his nightmare. Wildwing was begging for Nosedive to help him, but he was always too late and Wildwing would die. As the nightmares drove on, the deaths of his brother became increasingly worse, each drawing a scream out of him as he awoke. And each time he thought that Wildwing being gone was no more than an awful dream, but each time he awoke in Duke's room, no longer able to stand sleeping without Wildwing in their room. This time was no different.   
"WILDWING!" Nosedive screamed, sitting up with a sob of terror escaping his throat.   
But Wildwing didn't come, and Nosedive looked around quickly, not recognizing where he was. He screamed Wildwing's name again and again, his voice becoming more and more frantic as he calls went unanswered. Nosedive was soon screaming for Wildwing at the top of his lungs.   
Why wasn't he answering?! Where was he?! It couldn't be true, it couldn't be true! He wasn't really gone; he couldn't really be gone! It was all a dream! Please let it be a dream, please..   
Finally a dark mallard ran into the room and over to the teenager's side, looking worried as he grabbed the boy by the shoulders and shook him roughly, "Nosedive!"   
Nosedive stopped his screaming abruptly and stared at Duke in shock, the memories of what had happened hitting him hard. The look of fear in his eyes gave away to a pleading look that made Duke shift uncomfortably.   
"P-Please tell me Dragaunus r-really doesn't have him.. P..Please.." Nosedive begged, and Duke sighed, looking away and saying nothing. "N-No! Duke, please!"   
"I'm sorry, kid, but it's true," Duke replied and Nosedive began to sob, wrapping his arms around Duke's neck as he collapsed against him.   
"Shh, we'll get him back.. I promise." The older mallard whispered, slowly putting his arms around the boy and patting his back.   
Duke sighed softly, watching the boy slowly cry himself back to sleep once more. Nosedive was taking this hard, although not nearly as hard as when Wildwing was in a coma. At least he was eating this time... Then again, Nosedive would need his strength to help free Wildwing if they managed to find Dragaunus and the Raptor. Nosedive knew that Wildwing's life might depend on his, and that he could get a chance to do something to save him.   
He looked down at the boy asleep in his arms, watching Nosedive's back rise and fall with his breathing as he leaned against Duke. If only he could be this peaceful all the time.. But Nosedive wouldn't be able to sleep soundly until they got Wildwing back.   
And they would get Wildwing back, Duke was going to make sure of it. Nosedive was still young and needed his brother greatly. Wildwing was Nosedive's security blanket, and as long as Nosedive had Wildwing, everything would be okay. The second Wildwing was taken away, nightmares and fears that Nosedive seemed to have conquered came back tenfold. Without Wildwing, Nosedive was a wreck. No wonder why Wildwing was so overprotective of his little brother when he felt that Nosedive's safety was threatened.   
Duke laid the boy down softly, gently pulling up the covers to tuck him in, and Nosedive curled up in his sleep. He rolled his eyes at the boy and gave his hair an affectionate pat before he stood up. Taking one last look at the boy, he shook his head and looked at him sadly.   
"You didn't deserve any of this," Duke whispered, watching Nosedive's sleeping form. "You and Wildwing should never have to be seperated like this.. And you shouldn't have to worry about saving Earth. But we can't change the past. We can only change the future, can't we?"   
Duke, not expecting an answer, sighed and shook his head as he shut the door.   
"Good night, kid."   


Soon Nosedive again returned to dreaming, although this one was different than the others. He seemed to be floating, although he couldn't tell because he couldn't see through the pitch blackness. Looking around, he squinted in the darkness in an effort to see around him. He hated such pitch blackness usually, but he felt like he wasn't alone here, and that someone else was with him. Someone that he could trust and someone that would help him. But was he just imagining things or was he truly alone?   
"Wildwing?" He called softly, hopefully, into the darkness.   
The answer he got wasn't the one he expected.   
"I'm afraid I'm not, but I can help you find him," a voice replied, belonging to a Puckworlder, Nosedive knew it was a Puckworlder, around Wildwing's age.   
"Who are you?" Nosedive called, unafraid for reasons he could not even begin to explain. "And how can you help me find my brother?"   
"You will know me soon enough," the voice replied. "And I can help you find your brother because I know where he is."   
"You do?" Nosedive replied, startled, before questions exploded from his mouth. "Where is he? Is he alive? Is he okay?"   
"One question at a time, one question at a time," the Puckworlder laughed as he stepped out from the shadows. "For your second and third questions, he's alive and he'll be okay if you rescue him quickly."   
Nosedive got his first good look at the stranger, although he couldn't see more than chest up on the Puckworlder in front of him. He was about Wildwing's size, although a little smaller in the shoulders and tanner in color, although he was around Wildwing's build. His pale light-green eyes regarded Nosedive warmly and showed the confidence he felt about himself. Light brown hair fell just above his shoulders and was well taken care of.   
"W-What if I don't safe him in time?" Nosedive whispered, in awe for a reason he couldn't grasp, fear for the first time seeping into his voice.   
"You will save him in time," the Puckworlder replied, shaking his head. "I'll be there, even if you don't see me, to make sure of it."   
Nosedive realized that his beak was hanging open and he shut it, blushing softly. Really, it was only another Puckworlder like him.. Why was he in so much awe? But then he realized that the other Puckworlder had entered his dreams. So much for that theory.   
"Who are you?" Nosedive replied again, trying to appear that he wasn't impressed, but failing miserably. "Why are you helping us?"   
"I can't tell you who I am, yet . . . You most likely won't believe me even if I did." He replied. "And I'm helping you because I have brothers of my own. I know what it's like to loose one permanently and I don't want that to happen to you."   
A look of sadness crossed over the man's face and Nosedive blinked, "Man, I'm sorry . . ."   
Strangely, the Duck smiled, "Don't be. Your brother will help ease the pain."   
"Huh?" Nosedive replied smartly, blinking in confusion. "How?"   
The stranger ignored him, "I must join my mind with yours to tell you where your brother is."   
"You're in my dreams, aren't our minds already join?" Nosedive pointed out, and the other Puckworlder shook his head.   
"My brother is helping me walk through your dreams. And I'm not going to explain how he's doing that, either, because there isn't time," he stepped forward until he was just in front of Nosedive. "Your brother is in danger."   
"W-What do I do?" Nosedive asked urgently, worry in his voice.   
"You hold still and close your eyes," the Puckworlder replied, and he Nosedive's head gently between his hands as Nosedive did as he was told. "I'll transmit you the coordinates now."   
Nosedive, despite himself, snickered, "You're using magic, aren't you, and you're using scientific terms?"   
"Hush you," he replied with a laugh, and closed his eyes. "And there's no way I'm doing the mystic fade-out thing, it's so tacky. So you're going to wake up now."   


"Huh?" Nosedive blinked his eyes open and found himself once again in Duke's room.   
Looking around, he ran a hand through his hair and sat up, "Oh man, that was so weird . . . But there's no way he was for r-"   
Nosedive paused, his eyes widening. He knew where Wildwing was. He KNEW. Even to the exactly cell where he was kept in earlier and where he was now. How he knew, Nosedive had no clue, but now it was time for action.   
He scrambled out of Duke's bed and ran to the door, slamming his fist onto the open button on the numberpad so that he didn't loose time. He ran down the hall passing everyone quarter's and ran into the main room, ignoring the others stares of surprise.   
"I know where Wildwing is!" Nosedive exclaimed, and their eyes widened in shock.   
  
*End of Chapter 4* 

Author's end-note: That took forever and a half! I never thought it would be finished! I hit a roadblock right at the end of the torture scene, where it states that even a novice could use the device... I was going to describe how easy it was, and then I hit a roadblock there. Obviously, I changed it. =P And the mysterious Puckworlder WILL be revealed in a future fanfic! Hehehe.. Oi, this chapter is shorter than the others. *Sigh* Ah well. And you keep your mouth zipped, Jackie and Jody, because you're the only two who know that mystery character. (And yes, they knew him before I even planned this fanfic out.. Which is the only reason.) No guessing in the reviews, because I'm sure someone will get it right. 9.9;;;   



	5. Magic and Mysteries

The Aftermath   


By Icelightning   


Chapter 5: Magic and Mysteries   


Author's Note: Well, I guess this would be the fastest chapter to ever come out. Only two or three weeks between it and Chapter 4. One minor comment about the one picture I had a link to in one of the other chapters: I drew that in middle school. I'm now a senior in high school. ^^ So of course it isn't the best in the world . . . It's very old. I've drawn some good pictures, but . . . I haven't drawn as of late. Blame it on my evil art teacher. I had her my second year in high school and I'm *STILL* feeling the effects of hating to draw. She completely ruined art for me, and now I'm more into writing than anything else. So don't expect to see any art for me based on the Mighty Ducks anytime soon. *Sighs* Unless I feel really inspired. Need to draw an original character that'll probably never come into a fanfic, unless I decide to make an alternate reality. *To all who know who I'm talking about, and the name starts with a 'C'* Should I make a fanfic with him in it? Although the subject material, in a way, has been slightly covered in another fanfic? =P It'll give me something to do when this fanfic and the next one is stalled. So what do you all think? ^^ Yes? No? 

Author's Second Note: ^^;;; Please don't guess on who the strangers are. PLEASE DON'T! I don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone . . . Although Jackie already knows. So keep your mouth shut, Jackie~ =P Lol.   


Throughout all my life, I have been hard to get close to, before and after my enlightenment. I cannot explain why I was, and am, this way. It has always been that way. And it will always probably be that way.   
For the longest time, I was afraid that I would never truly 'belong' with any of my people. Perhaps I was afraid that people would always believe me to be the spiteful boy I was before I saw the greater good. Before I had purpose. Before I knew my true nature.   
I am afraid of being alone no longer, for I am no longer alone. I am one of the team, one with the team, and belong with the team. I live with the team, I play with the team, I dream with the team. I am a Mighty Duck. I am part of something much greater.   
How can I explain, even to myself, how it happened? One day, I was just another member on a strike team against the Saurians, and the next . . . The next I was part of a family. It was a long time before I realized that the transition had even occured. Finally I had what I'd always wanted, and I didn't even realize it.   
Another reason why I was a loner is because I was afraid that no one would ever understand me and that no one would ever truly care for me. My parents didn't, so why would anyone else? Even after Master Tai Quack Do had educated me, I still believed that I'd always be alone, although enlightened. I was even planning to lead the life of a hermit at one point in my life.   
I shall never think of being a hermit again. How can I, now that I am so integrated with the others? They are even beginning to understand my sayings, which even surprises me. We've just been together for that long, it seems. We saw Nosedive's birthday soon after we landed on earth. He's seventeen years by human standards. Nearly an adult by their standards as well. And yet, still a child in many ways.   
We were reminded of how young he really is when Wildwing was thrown into his coma only a few weeks ago. He was terrified without his brother there to tell him everything would be okay. Without Wildwing he was lost, and we could do very little to help him. He only became more lost within himself when Wildwing nearly died. Wildwing had been with him all his life and the mere idea that he could lose Wildwing forever . . . It was too much. He forgot to eat, to drink, to live . . . It was as if his soul had been taken away, and it hurt to watch him lie there day after day, night after night . . . .   
It was only when Wildwing returned to us did Nosedive return to himself and become Nosedive once more. His brother completed him in a way even I cannot fully comprehend. Without Wildwing he was a mere husk of his former self. It was horrible to watch him waste away as he kept his vigil. Even worse because I, and the others, could not help him. Only Duke managed to get him to listen.   
But in many ways, he's taken on the role of an adult. He's as much a part of the team as the rest of us, and he's routinely thrown into life or death situations, where his split second actions have prevented his untimely death. Nosedive knows when to get serious, and when to withhold his wise cracks. His teammates, especially his brother, come before he does. When he's in battle, a fierce battle, his innocence drops away and is replaced by a sort of . . . Acceptance?   
Nosedive is at the brink of the ending of childhood and the beginning of adulthood. At times, he strays more into one stage of life than the other. He's more childish when he pulls a prank on Mallory or argues with me about Bernie the Bear, who is not bear, and more adult-like whenever his brother's life, or the life of any of us, is on the line and is up to him to save. Sometimes, like during games, he's a bit of both.   
Perhaps Nosedive's situation is why Wildwing and Nosedive are so close. He's still young enough that he doesn't mind showing his emotions to his brother, but at the same time he's old enough for Wildwing to trust in his abilities. They can fight side by side, help each other through the battles, and cover for the other's weakness. Nosedive is there to keep Wildwing from getting depressed and serves as a constant reminder of why he continues living. Without his brother by his side, Wildwing couldn't have become the leader he is now. He needs Nosedive as much as Nosedive needs him.   
And yet, at times, Nosedive still needs Wildwing's protection, despite how much he's grown into adulthood. The second his brother begins to scream from a nightmare, Wildwing is there, comforting him. If he gets into a situation he can't get out of by himself, Wildwing is there, saving him. If he needs a boost, Wildwing is there, supporting him. And the reverse goes for when Wildwing needs a helping hand.   
There is something about their relationship that brought the rest of the team together. They are the glue that binds is together as a team, and as a family. I feel as if I have to protect them, and I know the others feel the same. A relationship as special as theirs only happens once in a life time. Their love for one another has survived through everything that they've gone through, and . . . It is like hope, watching the two of them. They symbolize the spirit of our people, a spirit that is still alive. As long as that spirit is alive, there is hope. And through this hope, we can prevail against any and all evils that threaten us.   


A groan escaped the mallard's throat as he finally regained consciousness. He didn't open his eyes, but he could tell he was in a different cell because there was a lesser stench of death. Letting out another groan, he tried to sit up, but none of his muscles would respond, and he remained lying in the same position as before.   
-C'mon Wildwing, get up!- he yelled at himself mentally, unable to find the strength to say it outloud.   
But he still couldn't move. Wildwing tried to sit up a few more times before realizing that it was useless -- his body was too weak to even sit up at the moment. He sighed, giving in to his weakness and allowing himself to lie there.   
-I'm lucky I'm even alive.- Wildwing concluded after a moment's thought, before finding the energy to smile grimly. -And lucky that I fainted before I broke. How many hours did he have me in there? How much more could I have survived?-   
His thoughts fell silent for a few minutes after that question, as he tried to relax his tense muscles. Wildwing's entire body was sore, and many places were alive with pain. But the pain didn't seem to hurt as much as it should have. It was dull, hardly noticeable, and growing more and more distant with each passing second.   
At that realization, his heart nearly stopped and his eyes flashed open. Everything was blurry, and his vision was quickly growing dimmer. No . . . He struggled to move, trying to fight back a fear that suddenly gripped him by the heart.   
He was dying and leaving his baby brother behind. He was going to die. He was going to leave Nosedive all alone . . . .   
-No! Damnit, I can't die like this!- Wildwing shouted to himself, but was surprised to find that even his thoughts seemed more distant than before, barely able to hear himself think. -I can't die! I can't leave Nosedive behind! He needs me . . . Someone, please! Anyone!-   
"He's dying! If he dies, he can't help us!" a voice, so far away . . . .   
"Do you have enough energy to heal him and still be able to create the portal with my help?" came another, a bit older, sounding worried.   
"I-I think so . . . We'll need all the energy reserves of MoDD, though," replied the first.   
"That's fine. We just need him alive," the second stated. "Hurry and heal him, I can feel his soul slipping away from us!"   
Wildwing, no longer able to see, felt hands gently touch his chest. Then, his chest suddenly felt as if it had exploded with energy and he gasped in surprise. A power he did not recognize flowed through his veins and smoothed over his pain, relaxing his muscles, and giving him the strength to take in breath. His weariness faded as he eyesight began to return.   
A figure, a Puckworlder, was kneeled next to him, although it was hard to exactly make them out, as his vision was still blurry with fading death. Wildwing could tell, however, that both him and the figure were bathed in a soft glow. For some reason, he felt unafraid, somehow knowing that the light belonged to something good, something that would help instead of hurt. So unlike the glow of the beam in the torture chamber . . . .   
He could make out colors now, although just barely. And there was another figure right behind him, also kneeling. Both of their feathers were tanner than Wildwing, and both had light brown hair, although the figure . . . healing him, he couldn't describe it any other way, had his hair pulled back in a pony tail.   
"That's enough," the other stated gently as he placed a hand on the shoulder that had to belong to his younger brother. "Anymore and the Saurians will become suspicious."   
The figure, still blurry, removed his hands from Wildwing's chest and stood up. Immediately Wildwing's vision began to fade again, but he felt no panic this time. This time he knew he wasn't dying.   
"He's a fighter," stated the younger brother, shaking his head. "But do you think he can really help us?"   
"He's the mask-bearer, of course he can help us," the other replied. "He'll know what to do."   
"But how can we be sure?" The smaller figure answered, glancing to Wildwing.   
"We'll test him," the answer seemed simple to the other.   
"Will the others be able to find him?" a worried edge to his voice.   
"Not in time, but that's where we'll come in. Help me contact his brother," it was neither a request or a command.   
Wildwing struggled to stay awake, confused by the two strange Puckworlders in front of him. He wanted to know more about them. Why were they helping him? What was going on? Why wasn't he dead?   
The darkness creeped up on him still. Slowly at first, but then faster and faster. Wildwing struggled briefly, but was no match against the blackness as it took him.   
  


"We need to find Wildwing before it's too late!" Duke stated, sitting with the others, minus Nosedive, in the main room.   
"Bright idea. Now how the hell are we going to find him?!" Mallory shot back, glaring at the gray duck.   
"Arguing will not save Wildwing," Grin stated, causing Mallory to blink before she blushed in shame.   
"S-Sorry, it's just that I'm worried about him . . ." Mallory sighed, her anger fading, replaced by a more uncomfortable emotion to her.   
"We all are," Tanya placed a hand on one of Mallory's. "But you must remember how hard this must be on Nosedive. Wildwing only just recovered from being hit by that truck, you know . . . ."   
"Yeah, I know," Mallory looked away, down the hall towards the quarters where they slept. "I'd rather him be annoying than have him be so quiet."   
"It is unnatural. His universe has been disturbed by the kidnapping of his brother. He will only return to himself when Wildwing is safe with him," Grin added, sitting on a small mat he had placed on the floor to meditate.   
"How are we going to find Wildwing?" Mallory demanded after a minute's silence.   
"Well, we can't use his tracking signal, because they destroyed his comm, and we can't use the mask because it's on the fritz," Tanya shook her head. "We really don't have too many options. At least, none that I can think of."   
"Are you sure you can't think of anything, Tanya? Isn't there something?" Duke asked, and Tanya thought for a moment.   
"Well, there's my new energy-frequency scanner, but it scans each individual building for about three minutes to determine if it's the Raptor," Tanya offered, and Mallory blinked.   
"We could use that to find Wildwing!" Mallory exclaimed, but Tanya shook her head.   
"The ray I use to create the energy-pulse used in the scan can only be used once every two hours, or it'll get over-heated and explode. It's still a prototype," Tanya explained and Mallory groaned in defeat.   
"This is hopeless! We'll never find Wildwing before the Saurians kill him at this rate!" Mallory snarled and Tanya looked away.   
"What we need is a miracle," Duke stated.   
It was then that Nosedive ran into the room, eyes wide. They stared at him in shock and worry, wondering what he was so excited over. They quickly got their answer.   
"I know where Wildwing is!" Nosedive exclaimed, and their eyes widened further in shock.   
They fell silent, not knowing what to say for many minutes, but Duke finally spoke up, "Kid, that's impossible . . . ."   
"No, I really know where he is! D-Down to the cell Dragaunus put him in!" Nosedive replied urgently, and Mallory shook her head in disgust.   
"You've gone nuts! There's no way you can know where he is!" Mallory interjected, but Nosedive shook his head quickly.   
"I swear I know where he is! Please, you have to believe me!" Nosedive begged desperately, and Tanya stood, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Tanya, please!"   
Why didn't they beleive him? He knew, he really knew! Couldn't they tell by the look in his eyes that he was telling the truth? How could they even be skeptical? Didn't they know he would never lie about such a thing?   
"It won't hurt to test out where he thinks it is.. It's not like my scanner's going to be any use to us anyways," Tanya replied and Nosedive smiled a thanks to her.   
"Where's this scanner of yours?" He asked, eager to show that he was telling the truth.   
"It's connected to Drake One --WOAH!" Tanya interrupted herself as Nosedive grabbed her wrist and drug her over to the computer. "Geez, calm down!"   
"I can't! Wildwing's in danger!" Nosedive replied, suddenly looking anxious. "Just bring up a map of Anaheim."   
She did and he immediately pointed to a spot on the map, "There. That's where 'Wing is."   
Sighing, Tanya scanned the building he had indicated. After the scan was complete, Tanya sighed and looked over to Nosedive, shaking her head in disbelief.   
Really, what was Nosedive thinking? They weren't going to find him by guessing randomly! She wished she had used her new scanner for a more likely spot. Why was she bothering to amuse him? He couldn't have gotten the location of Wildwing from some strange dream! It was scientifically impossible!   
"You know we're not going to find-"   
"Cloaked ship detected," a computerized voice surprised Tanya.   
"- . . . Anything. What?! That's impossible!" Tanya looked quickly to the screen, gawking.   
"You found the Raptor??" Duke blinked, standing up fast and running over to them, Mallory and Grin at his heels. "You really found the Raptor?!"   
Tanya nodded mutely and Duke blinked.   
"You have to be kidding me!" Mallory looked to Tanya.   
"I'm not. W-We've found the Raptor," Tanya managed to say.   
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go save my brother!" Nosedive ran towards the hangar, and the others followed.   


Chameleon sighed, watching over the control console. Monitor duty, he hated it. Especially when it would be so much more fun to torment Wildwing. But nooooo . . . Dragaunus had to go and nearly kill him! Which, of course, meant that no one could bother the duck until he had recovered because Dragaunus wanted him alive. Which also spoiled Chameleon's fun. The others then found it amusing to stick him on monitor duty.   
He _hated_ monitor duty. It was a fact that he felt was necessary to repeat to himself. He hated monitor duty, he hated monitor duty, he hated monitor duty, he hated-   
-Alarms went off and he jumped in shock. He didn't know what to do! They were never under attack before when he was on monitor duty! What was he supposed to do, what was he supposed to do?!   
"U-Uhm boss?" Chameleon tapped on his comm, whimpering softly. "We have p-problems!"   
He prayed that Dragaunus wouldn't kill him as the overlord's face shimmered over the communicator. "What _kind_ of problems, Chameleon?!"   
"I-I don't know! The a..alarms are going crazy!" The little green lizard squirmed as Dragaunus' face grew very, very impatient and angry.   
"You blubbering fool, what have you done now?!" Dragaunus shouted, and Chameleon cowered.   
"I didn't d-do nothin'! I w-wasn't touching it or anything! I-It just started making noise! S-Something about intruders!" He replied, shying away from the face above his communicator.   
Dragaunus slapped his forehead, letting out a growl of aggravation as he shut the connection. A minute later, he teleported next to his minion and shoved the poor Saurian off the chair so he could see better. Chameleon fell to the floor with a shout, and got up rubbing his side.   
"What in the blazes?!" Dragaunus stared hard at the screen for a moment, then fisted the computer keyboard in an effort to fix the computer.   
But the readings remained the same, despite how hard he pounded the machine. It was impossible; how could they be suffering so many glitches? The entire security network was down!   
Dragaunus gritted his teeth in rage, smoke curling out of his nostrils as he snarled. The power supply had suffered a meltdown, according to the computer. How could it suffer a meltdown?! It was proofed against it!   
"Chameleon, get Siege and find out what is going on with that system's power source and report back to me, in person!" Dragaunus ordered, before flipping on his communicator. "Wraith, go and guard the mallard! We may have intruders."   
"Yes, my lord," replied Wraith, before the connection was closed.   
Chameleon left the room muttering obscenities about the Saurian Overlord under his breath, limping slightly. Why'd he put up with the constant abuse anyways? The only one that didn't hit him was Wraith, and that was probably because he was too old to do much other than cast spells, being frail enough that hitting Chameleon might break a bone.   
He then remembered why he went along with them. If they won, he was promised slaves and land. And he was treated better hear than he was at home, sadly enough. At least here he had his own quarters and had an unique talent that made him irreplaceable. Back home, he was one of many children in his family, all having the ability to shape shift. And he had been the runt of the family, so he was lower than mud in their eyes, barely higher than a slave. His brothers and sisters were all about twice as tall as he was, and three times as good with their powers. Chameleon had more use than just a punching bag here.   
His thoughts were interrupted as he bumped into Siege and fell to the ground on his backside, letting out a small cry of pain. Siege turned around and glared at him. Chameleon gulped.   
"D-Dragaunus said for us to check the power source for the security system. The entire thing went down!"   
"Well then let's go see what the problem is, you meat head!" Siege growled, smacking Chameleon upside the head when he didn't get up fast enough. "C'mon, get moving!"   
Frowning deeply, Chameleon rubbed his head as he got up and walked after Siege. What he went through to get a piece of victory. It better be worth the trouble. And once he got his slaves and his land, he could flaunt his family with his riches. He smirked at the thought. That would be the ultimate reward.   
A few minutes later they arrived at the center of their problem and both their mouths gaped open. The computer's report that the power source of the security system had suffered a meltdown was an understatement. The entire wall that had housed the power source was nothing more than a flaming puddle of components, more liquid than solid. In fact, they were lucky it hadn't burned down the entire ship! How could a fire get so hot that it melted metal?!   
"Oh boy, Dragaunus is _not_ going to like this!" Siege muttered, shaking his head.   
"Guess it's not the ducks, then, huh?" Chameleon asked and Siege rolled his eyes.   
"Does any duck you know have the ability to melt a heat-resistant power source?!" Siege shot back, and Chameleon cringed away from him.   
"G-Good point," he admitted, slowly relaxing when Siege didn't hit him. "We'd better go tell the boss, then. He said for us to report back to him in person."   
The two Saurians left silently, only making a comment every once in a while to each other. They failed to notice a figure watching them from around the corner. The younger Puckworlder brother pulled his head back, nodding to his older brother.   
"They fell for it," he stated, grinning.   
"Of course they fell for it. They never met anyone who could use fire-magic to such an extent before." his brother replied, grinning back to him. "I think they'll be able to rescue their leader much easier now, don't you think? Hunter Drones and Saurians are easier to defeat than their security system."   
His brother paused a minute and closed his eyes, sensing out their location before he opened his eyes up again and responded "They're already on their way."   
"Good. Dragaunus won't have time to get any of his defenses up." a smirk spread over the elder Puckworlder's bill. "They should get him back without a problem."   
"Hopefully. And then we'll be able to. . . " He paused as he heard a sound, then looked behind them, down the hall. "Hunter drones, incoming!"   
"We can't be discovered; they mustn't know we're alive! Hurry, follow me!" he urgently whispered and took off at a silent run, his brother following.   
Gunfire suddenly erupted under their feet and they dived behind a wall. The younger brother glanced around the corner, then cursed as he ducked away from more gunfire. Hunter drones were incoming, and fast.   
"Damn, they've spotted us! Can you take them out?" he asked and the other nodded.   
"With pleasure, just shield me!" his older brother replied, grinning mischieviously, jumping out from behind the wall and into the intersection of the two parallel corridors.   
"At least give me a warning next time!" the younger brother called back, signing quickly in the air.   
The Hunter Drones fired at the unarmed Puckworlder and his brother cursed, signing faster. Nothing like a head-strong older brother to get you moving! But there wasn't time for him to think about anything besides the spell he was weaving, and a few seconds later it was done. A light exploded in front of his brother just in time for the lasers to slam into it. The next second, the lasers disappeared.   
"Hold it up for a few seconds!" the older brother cried, closing his eyes as he reached into himself and drew forth his powers.   
Fire exploded around him, swirling, and he grinned as he felt the flames dance around him invitingly. They swirled higher and higher, faster and faster, until they surrounded him completely and blurred his image. The Hunter Drones kept firing in vain, their shots continuing to be absorbed by the shield. A minute, two minutes, and the fire became glowing white.   
"Drop it!" he shouted, and his younger brother obliged.   
At the same second, the older forced his arms forwards, palms facing the drones blocking their path. The fire condensed in a flash, swirling around his arms before shooting forward and expanding tenfold once more. Finding the light too strong for even his eyes, he squinted them shut, letting out a yell as the fire blasted through the Hunter Drones, then past them. It hit the wall, only remaining trapped for a second before bursting through, curving onwards towards the sky.   


"What in the name of the Great Mother of Ducks was _that_?!" Duke yelled, shielding his eyes from the bright fire as it erupted out of a building in front of them, arching towards the sky.   
"I don't know, but I don't like the looks of it!" Tanya winced away from the light as well. "It's coming from the building that's the Raptor!"   
"What could have made that blast?" Nosedive shouted, slamming on the breaks and spinning out in front of the building it was coming from.   
"No matter what it is, we need to check it out!" Mallory replied, wincing as well.   
The bright fire vanished into space as quickly as it had appeared, leaving the Mighty Ducks trying to blink the after-image from their eyes. Nosedive unbuckled his restraints and jumped out of his seat, heading towards the door.   
"Nosedive, where are you going?!" Tanya cried, and Nosedive shook his head, loading his Puckblaster.   
"We need to hurry and save Wildwing! If that blast wasn't from them, they'll probably try and kill him before we have a chance to save him!" Nosedive answered, slamming his hand into the button to open the Migrator's side door, hopping out even before the ramp was to the ground.   
The others looked at one another, before scrambling out of their seats as well and following Nosedive as he ran within distance of the Raptor's cloaking field. They gasped in unison, along with Nosedive, as the regarded the Raptor. It was easy to tell that the fire they had seen wasn't from the Raptor.   
No blast from the Raptor would have left a gaping, melted hole in the side of it. Nosedive only gaped for a moment, before running forward, climbing up the Raptor the few feet it took to get there. Tanya shouted a warning.   
"Nosedive, no! It's too hot to touch!" She ran towards him, trying to grab his ankle as he reached a hand towards the melted section, but he lifted it out of reach as her hands started to grasp it.   
"It's not!" Nosedive shouted back, and she blinked in surprise.   
"It isn't?! That's . . . That's impossible!" Tanya gasped, as she and the others ran forward and climbed up the ship, after their youngest team member, who had already entered the Raptor.   
"Now where do we go?" Duke asked the inevitable question, and Nosedive pointed down an adjacent hall.   
"Down that corridor, then to the left."   
"Glad one of us knows where we're going," Mallory stated sarcastically as she and the others began to follow Nosedive at a jog.   


"Well, at least that solves the problem of how they're going to get into the Raptor," the younger brother stated, snickering to the other.   
"Oh ha. So I made a miscalculation.. Really, I didn't think that it would punch through the wall so neatly." replied the elder with a slight flush.   
"I guess they just don't build things like they used to," his brother laughed, and he glared.   
"Hush. Save your wisecracks for later. We need to follow them and make sure they get out of this alive." He started off at a jog after the other Puckworlders, only once he decided they were far enough away not to hear or see them.   
"Without using up all of our energy," his brother pointed out, quickly following the taller mallard.   


"What the hell was that?!" Dragaunus roared in fury, picking himself off of the floor in front of his throne as Chameleon frantically typed into the computer.   
"There was some sort of explosion in Deck 5! Somehow, a giant hole was punched into one of the sides!" Chameleon whimpered after he read the report.   
The status system was still operational for the time being, although that could quickly change depending on Dragaunus' reaction.   
"WHAT?!" his underling made himself small as Dragaunus raged his fury. "How did that happen?!"   
"It must be the ducks, my lord! It's the only explaination." Siege replied and the Overlord sent him a withering glare.   
"Even _they_ do not have that much power!" Dragaunus snarled, starting to pace. "What we have is another intruder. An intruder with incredible power."   
"Who?" Chameleon dared to ask and Dragaunus swatted him to the ground.   
"If I knew who, I would have exterminated them already! Now shut up and follow me! The ducks, if they decide to attack now, will be after their leader. We must beat them to the pass!"   


The Mighty Ducks had been trekking in the Raptor for about an hour, before Nosedive finally slowed down and stopped. "He's just two halls down from us."   
"Then why are we stopping?" Mallory asked, and he shook his head.   
"He's most likely guarded," Tanya answered for Nosedive, and Mallory nodded after a moment.   
"Point. If we charge in, guns blazing without a plan, we're most likely to get him killed." Mallory agreed.   
"Duke, any suggestions?" Nosedive turned to the thief, only to see the eldest Puckworlder looking away. "Duke, what is it?"   
"I feel like we're being followed, but whatever it is stays just out of my sight. But I don't think it means any harm . . . Either way, we should watch our back." Duke replied, turning to Nosedive. "Our best bet would be for us to go as a team until just before where Wildwing is, and then I can sneak around to check it out."   
"Then that's what we should do," Mallory commented, earning nods from the others. "Duke, Nosedive, take the lead. Me and Grin will keep an eye on our back. Tanya, check out for traps and the sort."   
"No problem, sweetheart," he walked out in front of the others, next to Nosedive, glancing into the darkness. "We're close, kid?"   
"Yeah, real close . . . I just hope they haven't hurt Wildwing." Nosedive sighed, shaking his head. ". . . But I know they already have. He needs Tanya or he'll-"   
"Nosedive, we'll save him, don't worry," Duke whispered gently, putting his hand on Nosedive's shoulder as they resumed walking. "Just believe in yourself."   
"I guess . . . " Nosedive sighed once more, voice unsure as they began walking once more. "He's in pain . . . ."   
Duke didn't question how Nosedive knew, but it had something to do with the dream he had just experienced. It was the only explaination he could think of. Whomever talked to Nosedive in that dream was still helping them. Maybe they had even punched that hole in the Raptor. And maybe they were the ones following them.   
At that thought, Duke was sure they meant no harm. Whomever they were, they wanted the Ducks to save their leader, and that was enough for him at the moment. He would ask questions later, when Wildwing was safe with them. Right now it mattered little.   
When Nosedive paused the next time, Duke creeped up to the corner, peering around it. He immediately frowned and stiffened, quickly drawing his head back before he could be spotted. At the questioning glances of the others, he shook his head.   
"Drones and all four Saurians. They obviously expected us." He stated.   
"Damnit! How are we going to get past them?!" Mallory hissed, and Tanya immediately wracked her brain for an answer.   
"I, uhm, have no clue . . . But we need a distraction!" Tanya replied, but she shook her head. "There's not much we _can_ do without them threatening to kill Wildwing. If only there was something . . ."   


The two brothers listened in from a distance, ignoring Duke as he stared at their hidden forms.   
"We need to help! There's no way they'll be able to save him!" the younger stated, looking to his brother for advice. "And we can't do anything more, or our cover will be blown."   
"It already is blown. With that blast, I'm sure they've figured out they're probably dealing with high magic." the elder replied at length. "You can help them. I saw the specs on those drones. They aren't water-proof. Go down this hall and turn right, then forward until you see the Saurians. That way, we won't have to pass by the other Puckworlders and have further risk of them seing us."   
A grin crossed his brother's beak. "Then I'm going to enjoy this."   
"I'm sure you will. Now hurry!"   


"There's got to be something we can do! We can't just leave my brother to his fate!" Nosedive desperately begged the others. "Can't you think of anything??"   
"Just about anything we do will get Wildwing killed . . ." Tanya stated, sighing sadly. "It's hopeless."   
"Don't say that! This is my brother we're talking about! We have to save him!" Nosedive's eyes only became more pleading, his voice nearly breaking with repressed sobs of panic. "W-We can't let them kill him!"   
"Guys?" Duke was glancing behind them again.   
"Yeah?" Nosedive looked back, frowning slightly. "You got an idea?"   
"No, but the people that were following us are gone now," Duke replied.   
"And?" Mallory prompted.   
"And I think all we have to do is sit back and wait," Duke grinned softly. "I think they'll handle most of our problem for us."   
"How can you be so sure?"   
Shouts erupted from around the corner, as the shorting of circuits could be heard, followed by explosions of the Droids. The Saurians shouted some more and then Chameleon and Wraith both cried out in shock before two dull thuds were made against the metal. Chameleon and Wraith made no further noise. They stared at the corner, unable to believe their ears.   
"Oh, just call it ex-thief's intuition," Duke smirked, then ran forward. "C'mon, while they're down!"   
Without hesitation, the others followed him, drawing out their weapons as they raced down the short stretch of hall and made the corner, nearly slipping on the water that now covered the floor of the cell block. Their mysterious helper was gone, and only Siege and Dragaunus moved, with Wraith, Chameleon, and the drones out of commission.   
"Seems like your plan's all washed up, Dragaunus! I'm taking back my brother!" Nosedive shouted, firing as the Overlord and the others followed suit.   
"Siege, grab the others and retreat! We're outnumbered!" Dragaunus ordered before hitting his teleporter and disappearing into a flash of light.   
Not bothering to reply, Siege stepped near his fallen comrades, before hitting his teleporter and disappearing as well.   
Mallory sighed, lowering her weapon. "Well, that was anti-climatic. Whomever was helping us took all the fun out of it."   
"Let's just get Wildwing and get out of here," Nosedive stated, walking over to the cell-block his brother was in, before freezing stiff. "By the stars, Wildwing! No!"   
"Kid, what is it?!" Duke ran up next to him, gasping in shock. "Shit! Tanya, get over here!"   
As she ran towards them, he opened the panel next to the cell and started fiddling with the controls, attempting to open the barred door. When Tanya joined them, she let out a short scream, hands flying up to cover her beak as her eyes widened in shock. Duke ignored her, succeeding in opening the locking mechanism a minute later before he rushed inside and started to undo Wildwing's shackles.   
"W-Wing.. Wildwing, Wildwing!" panicked, Nosedive ran foward and kneeled by his brother's side, Tanya at his heals as he began to shake his brother roughly. "Wildwing, wake up, wake up! C-C'mon, you're okay, wake up! Tanya!"   
"Stop it, you'll hurt him!" She hissed and he reluctantly let go of his brother while she turned to look Wildwing up and down to judge the extent of his injuries. "He's already in bad enough shape as it is . . . You don't need to make it any worse."   
Nosedive couldn't stand the sight of his brother's battered, cut, and bruised body, and he looked away, swallowing back a sob. Wildwing needed him to be strong now; he couldn't cry. He just couldn't . . . But the Saurians tortured him! He could even . . . NO! NO! NO!   
"He can't die!" Nosedive stated, shaking his head frantically, a beginning of a sob escaping from his throat. "I-I nearly lost him already! H-He can't do this to me a-again!"   
"Wildwing's not going to die, Nosedive. He's going to be just fine. We only need to get him back to the pond," Tanya stated. "His injuries are much less than before. He's only suffering from cuts and bruises, no broken bones. And he's not suffering from a concussion, either."   
"S-So he'll be okay?" Nosedive asked hopefully and she smiled.   
"Yes, he's going to be just fine, although he'll probably be jumpy for a little while. And he'll sleep a lot, like last time," she elaborated a little more on her explaination and he gave her a relieved smile, looking at his brother's still form in relief.   
"Thank the stars . . . " he whispered softly, crawling over to his brother's side and holding him up as Duke undid the last restraint.   
Nosedive felt his brother stir in his arms. "Wildwing?"   
"H-Hey," Wildwing replied weakly, his smile barely there. "T-took you long e-enough to . . . to save m-me."   
"Shh, don't talk," Tanya ordered gently, and Wildwing reluctantly obeyed her.   
"Sorry . . . We did as best as we could, though. We're going to take you home and you'll be better soon. Tanya says that your wounds aren't as bad as last time," Nosedive told his brother, still cradling him softly, despite the fact that Wildwing was heavier than him. "You'll be able to move around again shortly, _if_ you stay in bed this time."   
Wildwing chuckled softly, then winced at the movement. He offered his brother a small smile, but he could already feel himself slipping away again. However, he decided to disobey Tanya's orders against his better judgement and spoke once more.   
"L-Love ya, baby b-bro'," Wildwing whispered softly, as his eyes slowly slid closed.   
"I l-love you too, Wildwing," Nosedive replied softly, even though he knew that Wildwing couldn't here them.   
"He'll be okay," Tanya reassured him, a gentle expression on her face.   
"I-I know. L-Let's just . . . just take him home," Nosedive stared down at his brother's still form, thanking the stars and the mysterious strangers that his brother was safe.   
He handed Wildwing to Grin, and they walked out of the Raptor, failing to encounter anymore drones or Saurians. Not wanting to test their luck, Duke drove as fast as he dared the second Wildwing was secure.   
Then, the wait began all over again for Nosedive. But at least this time Nosedive knew the outcome. And for that, he was grateful. 

*End of Chapter 5*   
  


Author's End-note: Ouch, this chapter was a bit longer than the last two, lol. And here I thought it was actually short . . . Silly me. Nothing like a good anime movie to get you in the mood to write. You can thank Metropolis for this chapter, because I had writer's block at "It was proofed against it!" So the last part of the chapter was written at one time, lol. I'm just glad I finally finished it. One more chapter after this, although it's just really wrapping things up. And remember, no guessing about who the mysterious characters are! =P~   
  
  
  



	6. The Beginning and the End

The Aftermath   


By Icelightning   


Chapter 6: The Beginning and the End 

Author's note: Oops, this POV was supposed to be Nosedive's, but I started it as Wildwing.. So I guess I'll just have to do both of the brothers, then, rofl. =P Just giving you a heads up on that.   


I cannot even begin to express the amount of joy I felt when I woke up with Nosedive hunched over me, his eyes shining in worry. I had thought I would never see him again, alive anyways, and I didn't believe they'd ever manage to rescue me, with the mask on the fritz and Dragaunus threatening to kill me if they tried anything.   
But, thank the stars, I was wrong. They came to my rescue when I needed them the most. Just when I thought it was all over, I felt Nosedive's arms holding me close, his voice whispering in relief as Tanya told him I was going to be okay. I couldn't do anymore than smile weakly at him, but Nosedive knew I was overjoyed at seeing him. It meant I didn't have to go through anymore of those torture sessions . . . .   
Truth be told, I had never been more afraid of anything in my entire life. I was afraid I would break and betray all of my loved ones, especially Nosedive. I was afraid I would seal all their fates to slavery or worse for the rest of their lives. Dragaunus had all the power and I was helpless . . . Completely helpless. He could do anything, absolutely anything to me, and I would be unable to stop him or fight back in the slightest.   
My greatest fear is losing control of any situation, especially one that could have potentionally fatal results. As the team captain, I have to be in control of myself and others at all moments, on and off the ice. I can't let my fear show, regardless of how afraid I am at any given moment. Their lives depend on me keeping my cool. With Dragaunus, I thought I had lost control of the situation. I thought I would break and tell him everything.   
However, I didn't break and I kept my fear in control. I gave up with trying to hold back my screams, knowing they would come forth anyways. With controlling my fear, I had to focus every bit of my strength. Letting out a scream or two or three meant little in the long run. I could scream, but as long as I didn't tell, it didn't matter. And I didn't tell. I didn't break. I was in control.   
I won.   
Dragaunus didn't get a bit of information out of me before I lost consciousness. He failed to break me and that made me all the stronger. Sure, I'll probably have nightmares, many nightmares, about him torturing me, but I'll always know that he lost and I won.   
With all my heart I can only hope I can keep my screams quiet when Nosedive and I sleep in the same room once more. He's already been through enough and I couldn't bear to make it worse with my screams of terror. But I managed to keep them muffled before and I'll do it again. I hope.   
Some people would call me selfish for not letting my brother know how afraid I really was in that ship. Shouldn't I let my brother help me like I've helped him so many times before? But I'm not selfish. If I am afraid once, who could my brother turn to when he's terrified? Nosedive would worry that I'd be frightened too, and then what? He'd keep his fears to himself and become so afraid of the world he'd be unable to face the Saurians.   
But sometimes . . . Sometimes I wish I could tell him everything about myself. I wish I had someone with whom I could confide my deepest fears. But I know if I did, Nosedive would suffer. There's no way I would ever do that to him. I have to keep it to myself in order to keep him safe. It's okay for the younger brother to be scared, but the older brother? No, he has to be there for his little brother one-hundred precent, all the time, all day, every day. I have to be there for my brother, and I can't show my fear, least it make his own grow and magnify. I must be his pillar of strength when he is weak. And I can never be weak. I must always be strong.   
The pressure is sometimes so immense that I feel like I'm going to crack, that I'm going to break in two. I've told Duke a little about how it feels, but not a lot, although it was still more than I've ever told any of the others. After all, he was the one that pushed me the most to put on the mask after we came to Earth. Heh. He wouldn't let me rest until I did, and he's at my side the minute I start doubting myself.   
Duke's hard to read. You really can't tell what he's thinking most of the time, or at least that was how it was at first. Now, I can guess what he's going to do about half the time. And now he feels more a part of the team than he did before. More like a family member and less like a lonely thief, I suppose. I think he likes brothering Nosedive a little too much, however. Ah well, I can share. I know Duke can't replace me in Nosedive's heart, and Duke didn't have a good family life in the first place, from what I'm guessing, so letting him brother Nosedive every once in a while won't hurt. Not to mention he's told me that Nosedive went immediately to him for comfort when I was kidnapped. He was almost afraid I would be angry, but . . . He took care of my brother while I couldn't be there for him, why would I be angry about that?   
Somehow, I wasn't surprised when he told me about it. Him and Nosedive have grown close over the past year on Earth. I was jealous and afraid Duke would steal Nosedive away from me, but then I realized I was also growing closer to Duke as well. When I realized that, I was more relieved than I thought was possible about such a matter. I really thought, for a moment, that I was going to lose my brother to Duke. I know I was paranoid now, because Nosedive's love and need for me never decreased the entire time, and still hasn't. Maybe he doesn't need comfort every night, but he still needs me as much as he did before, although maybe not in the same way.   
Nosedive . . . I'm not sure what I would do without him. I know I couldn't live without his jokes, without his laughter, without his smiles . . . Why would I have any reason to live? Without him, I'm nothing but a leader. I'm a faceless nobody undeserving to wear the Mask. But with him by my side . . . I feel like I can do anything. I can believe in myself. I can rise to the challenge of everyday, and not so everyday, life.   
But it still doesn't explain how he and the others managed to find the Raptor so quickly, only a day after I was kidnapped. How could they have done it so quickly? Tanya said Nosedive had been told the location of the Raptor in a dream, but how? Who told him? And how could they have found me in order to tell him where I was in the first place?   
Was it those mysterious strangers that kept me from dying all alone in my cell? Did they too help the others rescue me? And how could either of them had made such a fire to liquify metal? And make water appear out of thin air . . . It's impossible. At least, it's impossible according to science. Either way, I owe them my life.   
I just wonder what the price is of their help. What do they want with me? And will it hurt Nosedive? I can only pray that they're truly on our side . . . .   


If it wasn't for the help of the strangers, we never would have been able to save my brother, much less discover where Dragaunus had him. They had made the difference between surrender and victory. Without them, Wildwing would still be their prisoner . . . No, he wouldn't have been their prisoner. H-He would have been dead. My big brother would have died without their help!   
But they helped me, and I'm grateful. Wildwing has his doubts about them, but I don't. I know they want Wildwing to help them with something, that's what they said, but I know they wouldn't do anything to hurt any of us. The guy that came to me in my dream was simply too nice. And . . . For some reason, I just know I can trust him. There was something about him that seemed so familiar . . . Someone I knew I could trust, someone I knew was on our side.   
I would have lost Wildwing without their help . . . He brushed death's cloak again. You could see it in his eyes when he stared up at me for the first time since the kidnapping. He was so weak, so tired. And I knew he had been afraid, even though he won't ever admit it. He thinks he's doing me a favor by not telling me his true feelings, but he's not. I appreciate the fact that he loves me enough to protect me, but not when it hurts him. He's my older brother, but that doesn't mean he has to hide his fear from me! I don't want him to always protect me . . . He's done that all his live. I want to be able to protect him from his fears for a change. Why won't he let me do that?   
. . . . He's so afraid that his fears will hurt me that he's blind to the fact that not telling me about them is hurting me. I want to be able to take care of him like he's taken care of me. I never had to deal with my fears alone, so why should he?? I want to be able to help him! Why can't he understand that? I want to be able to take care of him like he takes care of me . . . .   
Why must he suffer because of me? I don't want him to suffer because of me . . . I want him to completely open himself up to me. I know he was scared! He thinks I don't know. Really, I may be dense at times, but not that dense! He's my brother, shouldn't I be able to help him when he needs me? Why can't he just admit it?   
I can hear his muffled screams, even though he thinks I can't. I can hear his sobs after his stops screaming. I know when he's had a nightmare. But he refuses to let me help him when I ask if he's okay. He forces back his tears and clamps down his cries, acting like nothing happened. It's so hard to stand my brother crying to himself late at night. I know I should be there, comforting him, but I can't! I'm not a kid anymore, doesn't he see it? I'm ready to help him like he's helped me . . . .   
I just want to be able to help him. That isn't asking for too much, is it? I hate feeling so helpless! I know I could help him if he just would let me! I know it . . . .   
Oh Wildwing, why are you pushing me away when you need me the most? You and I both know you can't keep this up forever. You'll break eventually. Please, let me help you! It's better than making me worry about you! It scares me more than anything in the world when you hide your pain. Don't you know that? I love you so much, please don't do this to me anymore . . . It breaks my heart to see you hurting! I love you, I love you . . . Why won't you let me help you?   
I'm not asking for you to tell me everything, not right away, big bro', but you should tell me at least a little about what happened. How you felt, what scared you . . . Anything that'll help take away your pain. I don't want you to be in pain anymore.   
How can you think you're tricking me into believing you're okay? You don't smile anymore, and when you do, it rarely reaches your eyes. You don't eat as much as before, either. And you sometimes just sit there, staring into space, without moving or blinking . . . What am I supposed to think? That you're getting sick or something? No, I know it's more than that, Wildwing.   
Let. Me. Help. You! Stop being so secretive about your emotions! I've lived with you for so long, I know what you're thinking, what you're feeling. Don't you think it's about time you stop pretending when we both know the truth?   
Please, brother, please let your feelings flow free. You already have enough pressure on your shoulders--you don't need to add to it. Please don't hurt yourself by holding back your tears anymore. For me?   
I can't stand it! I wish I could hit you or something when you hide your emotions from me! I know you can't be this alone! So damnit, Wildwing, talk to me! Don't just sit there and fade away from the world! Let me protect you like you've always protected me! I know I can help you, so why won't you open your feelings to me? I love you so much, Wildwing . . .   
What am I supposed to do? _Let_ you fade away?! I c-can't lose you! Please, don't leave me all alone! By the stars, please . . . I beg you to let me help you! Before I lose you again . . . Please! I've nearly lost you more times than I can count! Please don't make me lose you for real! Please! I beg of you . . . Let me help you!   
I-I'm scared, 'Wing . . . I'm scared that I'm losing you for real this time . . . We both know you're hurting inside, s-so why won't you let me help you?! I-I'm so worried about you, Wildwing. Now I can't even be happy anymore . . . Is this what you feel like whenever we're seperated?   
Please, stop seperating yourself from me. Let me help you, please Wildwing, please . . . Just let me help you.   
Please . . . .   


Sleep eluded the mallard and he rolled over again, sighing softly. In truth, he was only half trying to fall asleep. Half of him recognized the exhaustion his body felt, but the other half . . . The other half recognized what would happen if he slept.   
The memories would haunt him again and he'd wake up screaming. Each time he fell asleep they haunted him even more and eventually he wouldn't be able to keep his nightmares secret from his brother. He had to be strong--his brother had already been through too much. . . .   
Wildwing glanced over to Nosedive's still form across the room, sighing softly as the boy slept peacefully. He never thought he'd envy his little brother so much--all he wanted was a few hours of sleep, and he couldn't even get that. He'd have to stay up until he was completely exhausted in order to avoid them, but then the others would worry and he couldn't let them. After all, he was their leader and he had to be strong. Didn't he?   
Realizing that train of thought was getting him nowhere fast, Wildwing rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. By the stars, why couldn't he sleep peacefully for a change? Wincing, he shook his head and tried to banish all his thoughts from his mind. But his fears and worries kept on coming back to haunt him. . . .   
"'Wing?" Wildwing blinked as a voice mumbled his name and glanced at his brother to see Nosedive stirring. "Can you sleep with me?"   
"Something wrong, baby bro'?" Wildwing asked, worry flarring as he sat up to look at his brother.   
There was a moment's pause, before Nosedive spoke again, voice shaking. "P-Please?"   
Responding almost unconsciously, Wildwing slid off of his bed and walked over to Nosedive's, sitting down on it. "Of course, 'Dive. Anything for-"   
"-Me. I know, 'Wing, I know . . . " Nosedive sighed, glancing up to his brother. "Just lay down with me?"   
Wildwing nodded silently, lying down in the bed as Nosedive pulled back the covers and drapped them over Wildwing. The older brother gave him a quizzical look and Nosedive smiled slightly, shrugging. He then pressed into Wildwing, resting his head next to his brother's.   
"Didn't want you to get cold, you know . . . " Nosedive stated after a moment, whispering softly. "Now go and get some sleep."   
His brother only nodded in response, letting his eyes slide shut after a minute. He was too tired to care, or even notice, that Nosedive was babying him. At the moment all Wildwing wanted to do was sleep, and with Nosedive next to him, it wasn't hard to convince himself to give into his exhaustion.   
Nosedive sighed in relief as he watched his brother drift off, glad that the sound of Wildwing tossing and turning finally ceased. Now the both of them could actually get some sleep, as long as Wildwing didn't have any nightmares.   
He sighed and took comfort in Wildwing's presence, listening as his breathing slowed to the gentle rhythm of sleep. Nosedive's mind began to wander, his worries about Wildwing fading away as he felt the gentle rise and fall of his brother's chest against him. After a while he too succumbed to sleep and joined his dreaming brother.   


Wildwing blinked his eyes open and was startled to find himself outdoors and not in his room. The frigid temperatures were a shock to his body and he shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. He briefly regretted that he and the others had shed most of their feathers after arriving on earth to adjust to the climate, but then realized just how cold it was.   
-It's colder than Puckworld . . . - He shook his head at that thought, sighing softly. -Where am I?-   
A smell came to his senses and he blinked in surprise. Frowing a little, he tested the air again to be sure. It smelled like home; was this Puckworld?   
He froze at the thought. Where was he? Was he really on Puckworld? Slowly, his mind registered that he was, and he decided not to worry about how he had gotten there, because that question was best answered when one wasn't in mortal peril of freezing to death.   
-I have to be on the upper continent . . . Only it would be this cold this time of year.- Realizing that standing there didn't help, Wildwing begam to walk slowly across the snow-covered plain, almost at a crawl against the harsh winter winds.   
Blinded by the snowstorm, he didn't notice the form curled up in the white powder until he had tripped over it. He fell with a shout, sprawling onto his stomach when he failed to catch his balance in time. Wildwing winced and picked himself up, glancing back to see what had caused his fall.   
His blood ran cold as he stared at the corpse, blood still seeping from the woman's fresh death-wound, painting the snow around her crimson. He quickly climbed to his feet and stumbled away from the corpse, eyes widening. That young woman wasn't one of his teammates . . . No, this had to be Puckworld . . . Did the Resistance lose despite all the fact they blew up the Master Tower?   
Wildwing's heart sank and he looked around as the blizzard began to clear. He took in a sharp breath of air, muscles seizing up in shock. What he saw made his stomach turn yet again.   
Bodies. Bodies everywhere. Bodies litered the ground--both Puckworlder and Saurian alike. All young, all pale, all devoid of life. He couldn't even hate the Saurians whose blood stained the ground, as they looked as scared and terrified as he had during their first battle. They didn't want to fight--they just wanted to live and grow up. So why did they have to die?   
Suddenly, he couldn't help but feel pity towards the Saurian race, despite what they had done to his people . . . Hadn't they lost their homeplanet or something of the like? He remembered something he had read in a history book and nodded to himself. The Saurians had traveled the cosmos for thousands of years after that, being either repelled or rejected by all intellegent species for a new home, despite the fact their attentions were peaceful at first. In fact, Puckworld was the first planet they had tried to conquer, after they had finally given up hope of a peaceful solution to their problem.   
-It's tragic, really,- Wildwing sighed, shaking his head. -We would've readily given them our tropical belt--very few of us liked living down there, and at the time of the first invasion, the Saurians numbered only in the hundreds. They could've lived down there without a problem . . . And even now, they can't all be evil . . . There must be some with pure hearts, right? An entire race can't be evil--there has to be an exception!-   
-These Saurians aren't cold-blooded killers--they're all no more than children, both Saurian and Puckworlder alike. None of them wanted to fight and they especially didn't want to die . . . Has it become such a desperate battle between our people that we've sunk to using children to fight our battles?-   
A sob mixed in with a cough brought Wildwing back to the present and he turned around, eyes falling on a Saurian that couldn't be a day older than Nosedive. The boy, Wildwing was sure it was a boy, let out another sob, crying out in the strange native tongue of his ancestors. His grayish skin and mohawk of black hair was covered in blood. Wildwing didn't need a translator to know what the boy was saying.   
-He wants his mother . . . The boy doesn't want to die alone.- Wildwing's mind screamed at him to stay away from the child, since he belonged to the same species of those who had tortured him; Wildwing's heart, however, could not turn away from such suffering.   
He found himself kneeling besides the dying Saurian and he froze in fear. What was he supposed to do? The child probably wouldn't understand him and he didn't have any idea how Saurians comforted their young. Or if they even still comforted their young at all.   
The teenage boy stared up at Wildwing with eyes full of terror, even as they started to lose the gleam of life. Wildwing knew that the boy didn't have much time left--he had a life-span that was measured in minutes instead of years. He had already bled too much for Wildwing to save him . . . The child was going to die. It was now only a matter of time.   
Sighing softly, Wildwing reached over and stroked the boy's hair, whispering softly. "I won't hurt you . . . You're safe, and I'm not going to let you die alone . . . . "   
Slowly the Saurian relaxed under Wildwing's hand and the fear disappeared. They couldn't understand each other's language, but they still understood one another. He shivered and Wildwing smiled sadly to the boy, taking off his jacket to wrap around the dying teen, holding him in his arms. A smile of thanks warmed the boy's lips and then he pressed gently into Wildwing, closing his eyes and letting out a relaxed sigh. The boy knew he wasn't going to be alone, and that was all that mattered to him at the moment. Wildwing wouldn't let him be forgotten and he wouldn't leave him until the end. The child hung on to life stubbornly for a few minutes, comforted by Wildwing's presence, but soon his strength faded and he slipped into sleep. Then, he died.   
Wildwing sighed, gently lowering the body to the ground, resting it on the cold winter floor. What little heat that had been left in the body was soon gone and snow began to cover it, sticking to it in an eerie picture of death. Another innocent life lost to the void. One more life for Wildwing to mourn.   


Wildwing blinked and glanced around. He was no longer in the snowstorm, kneeling next to a dead body. Instead, he was floating in a black void.   
"Amazing. You really are as kind as the others think you are." Wildwing turned around quickly, surprised to see the elder of the two brothers standing, or more rather floating, behind him.   
The leader of the Mighty Ducks blinked to the stranger, thinking back to the experience he just had. "That was one of the tests you spoke of, wasn't it?"   
Laughing, the figure nodded. "Yes. And you passed."   
"Why are you testing me like this? Why do you need my help?" Wildwing questioned, and the Puckworlder gave him a lop-sided grin.   
"We had to make sure that you'd know what to do without us having to tell you exactly what to do. We needed to make sure you were loyal to your heart. So far, so good. Only a few more tests left and then we'll reveal ourselves." There was a silence, and Wildwing sighed, shaking his head.   
"What's my next test?" Wildwing asked, reluctant to know--what else would he have to go through?   
"Talk to your brother."   
"What?" Wildwing blinked, taken by surprised.   
"Talk to your brother," the other Puckworlder repeated, smiling softly. "You're not any use to anyone in the state you're currently in. You need to recover, and your brother can help you do that. He needs to help you through this like you've helped him through his trials."   
"But-" Wildwing objection was cut short with a fierce nod of the Puckworlder's head.   
"No buts. You need to talk to him. He can handle what you need to tell him." his quick speech gave Wildwing no time to interrupt him. "You'll be waking up in a second and I expect you to speak to him."   
Wildwing couldn't help by smile softly. "You . . . Sound like a dad."   
The Puckworlder's eyes softened and became a bit sad. "I was one . . . once, a long time ago."   
"I'm sorry," Wildwing sighed, feeling bad for upsetting someone that had done so much for him.   
"Don't be--I'll probably be babying your little brother, and you, sometime soon," laughter returned to the stranger's voice. "You two both need a father."   
"But you're my age!" Wildwing protested and the Puckworlder began laughing.   
"Maybe in body, but my mind's a lot older. I've been through a lot more than this . . . current body." he shook his head. "Enough talk. It's time for you to wake up."   
"But-"   


"-what are you talking about?" Wildwing eyes fluttered open and he found himself staring at the ceiling of his and Nosedive's room. "What the . . . ?"   
He sighed and shook the sleepiness from his head, turning to glance at his brother as the teenager stirred quietly in his sleep. Wordlessly, Wildwing raised a hand to stroke his brother's hair, sighing softly. Remembering what the stranger had told him, Wildwing slowly began to shake Nosedive awake. It was best to get this over with while he still had the nerve.   
"'Wing?" Nosedive yawned, stirring under Wildwing's touch, sleepily blinking his eyes half-way open to look up at his brother. "What is it?"   
"We need to talk . . . I need to talk to you." Wildwing replied nervously and Nosedive suddenly woke up a bit more, staring at his brother in surprise.   
"You mean . . . ?" Nosedive couldn't believe his ears.   
"Yeah, about what happened in the Raptor," Wildwing sighed, looking away and becoming nervous again. "One of the strangers, the older one, contacted me in my sleep and said I should."   
"Them again?" Nosedive smiled softly. "They're kinda babying us a little, aren't they? They helped us out so much . . . And now we're listening to them like children."   
"He wasn't adverse to the idea of us being like children to him," Wildwing stated with a weak laugh and Nosedive smiled a little wider.   
"Figured as much. I wouldn't actually mind that too much . . . It would be like having a real family again," Nosedive smiled at the thought.   
"You know what? Neither would I . . ." Wildwing replied, his voice trailing off as he looked at the clock, which dimly read: 3:51 AM.   
"So . . . Are you going to talk to me now or what?" Nosedive urged his brother after Wildwing's voice trailed off, nuzzling Wildwing's cheek softly. "That is, i-if you're ready."   
Wildwing looked back to Nosedive, gazing into his brother's eyes for a moment, calming himself with their steady gaze. Quietly, he reminded himself that the brother was right--he needed to do this. He needed to get this off his chest or he'd never be any use to anyone again.   
"It was awful, baby bro'," Wildwing whispered softly into the darkness and seconds later felt Nosedive's arms wrap around his waist in a protective hug. "I couldn't stop screaming . . . "   
"What did they do to you?" Nosedive asked quietly, eyes softening as his brother trembled in his arms. "What did they do to you, big bro'?"   
"I can't remember--it's all a blur . . . But it hurt so much . . . " Wildwing trailed off and Nosedive pressed a bit closer into him, nodding in understanding.   
"But you survived it," Nosedive stated with conviction.   
"But I survived it," Wildwing replied, sighing softly.   
"And you didn't break," Nosedive added with certainty.   
"And I didn't break," Wildwing repeated his brother's words.   
"And you're here with me now," Nosedive pointed out and this time Wildwing smiled.   
"Yes, I'm here with you now," Wildwing turned onto his side, pulling his brother into a hug. "I'm here with you and I'm not going to leave you again."   
"Promise?" Nosedive voice became suddenly pleading. "Y-You'll stay with me?"   
Wildwing blinked, realizing that the tables had suddenly turned, and he smiled softly. "Of course, baby bro'. I'll never let that happen again."   
"M-Me neither . . . I'm not going to let you out of my sight until you're at a full strength again," Nosedive nuzzled his brother, relaxing again.   
"If you must," Wildwing let out a sigh, but he was smiling.   
"You don't have to tell me everything, big bro' . . . You know that, right?" Nosedive broke the ensuing silence after a minute's passage.   
"I know . . . You'll help me through, won't you?" Wildwing asked and Nosedive quickly looked up at him again.   
"Of course I will! Big bro', I know how much you really need me, even if you won't admit it yourself," Nosedive stated. "And I'll help you through the nightmares, too. I'll be there to hold you like you've held me through all of mine . . . You won't be going through this all alone."   
Wildwing sighed. "I guess I couldn't hide them from you as well as I thought I could . . . "   
"Nope," Nosedive's eyes softened. "It hurt to hear you crying all by yourself, Wildwing. I couldn't stand it . . . "   
"I'm sorry," Wildwing replied weakly, wrapping his arms tighter around Nosedive. "I should've told you sooner."   
"You're right; you should have," Nosedive nuzzled Wildwing's cheek with his bill. "But that doesn't matter now. All that matters is that we're together again and we're going to get through this together, right?"   
"You're right," Wildwing smiled, resting his head on top of Nosedive's shoulder. "I should have."   
"Just relax, okay, 'Wing? I'll take care of you." Nosedive ran a hand through his brother's tuft of hair and Wildwing grinned softly.   
"Gladly, baby bro', gladly," Wildwing yawned softly, closing his eyes. "Love you, baby bro'."   
Nosedive nuzzled his brother's forehead. "Love you too, 'Wing. Sleep tight, okay?"   
Wildwing nodded, waiting a minute before he spoke again, shifting softly. "'Dive?"   
"Yeah, Wildwing?" Nosedive glanced to his brother's still form.   
"Thanks," Wildwing let his body relax gently into his brother.   
"You're welcome," Nosedive replied, stroking Wildwing's hair as his brother drifted off.   
And for the first time since returning home to the Pond, Wildwing slept peacefully. And for that, Nosedive was greatful.   


Author's End-note: Look! It's finished! FINALLY! I thought I'd never finish this chapter.. *Sighs happily.* I'm so glad that I finally got to finish *any* chapter fanfic. You see, I've never managed to finish a chapter fanfic before, so this is a real accomplishment for me. Now if only this hadn't been shadowed by me misplacing my medicine, I'd be truly happy. Ah well, you can't have everything in life... I'd do shout-outs now, but like I said, I'm bummed out about that. Ah well, I'll have to add them into my next "Casualty" chapter. Someone poke me to remind me about that, k? Thanks!   



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